Alan Cumming is currently hosting The Traitors US on BBC Three and iPlayer, with a third series already confirmed. Although he’s mastered the wickedly wry nod to camera as presenter, he actually became famous as an actor.
Which probably explains why he soaks himself in the drama of the US version of the hit reality game, which is seeped in misplaced trust and betrayal…
Perhaps it’s Alan’s tough upbringing that has made him so relatable. In 2021, he opened up about his traumatic childhood in the documentary Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland.
The X-Men actor teamed up with Call the Midwife star Miriam Margolyes as they set off on a road trip to investigate their mutual Scottish roots. On the way, Alan shared memories of the abuse he suffered as a young boy.
Who hosts The Traitors US?
Alan Cumming presents the brilliantly cast The Traitors US. The second series is currently airing on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
While Claudia Winkleman hosts the original UK version of the hit reality game, Alan is perfect as the tongue-in-cheek presenter of the American version. And his outfits speak for themselves!
In the series, ‘strangers’ unite to “embark on a game of detection, backstabbing and trust, in the hope of winning a cash jackpot”. In fact, unlike the UK version, all of the cast are already celebrities. Most are from reality TV shows including Big Brother US, Survivor US, and the Housewives franchise.
However, Brits will recognise Love Island star Ekin-Su, and former politician John Bercow. The cast of characters already have reputations that precede them. And that’s sometimes a bad thing in a game where motives often need to be hidden.
Who are the contestants on The Traitors US series 2?
Season 1 of The Traitors US saw reality television icons go up against ‘everyday’ people. The eventual winner had already made her fame on Survivor (which she also won). In fact, the Australian version of the show (also on BBC iPlayer) also pits the famous against the non-famous.
Series 2 of the US version is different – ALL the cast are well-known TV faces. Celebrities include Carsten ‘Bergie’ Bergersen from Love Island USA, The Challenge star Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, US Big Brother’s Dan Gheesling, and professional boxer Deontay Wilder.
Bizarrely perhaps, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu also appears on the series. We know her from Love Island UK, Dancing on Ice and, more recently, Celebrity Big Brother.
There’s another British celeb, too – John Bercow, former Member of Parliament of the UK. He was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019.
Among the 21 contestants, there’s also Big Brother US star Janelle Pierzina, Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio from The Challenge, and Bling Empire’s Kevin Kreider. Larsa Pippen of The Real Housewives of Miami fame also competes, alongside basketball player Marcus Jordan (yes, Michael’s son).
Other contestants include Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Dancing with the Stars), Mercedes ‘MJ’ Javid (Shahs of Sunset), Parvati Shallow (Survivor), Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Peter Weber (The Bachelor), Phaedra Parks (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor), Shereé Whitfield (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), Tamra Judge (The Real Housewives of Orange County), and Trishelle Cannatella (Real World: Las Vegas).
There are 21 contestants in total.
What is The Traitors host Alan Cumming famous for?
Actor Alan Cumming OBE is famous for his work in theatre, TV and film. His London stage appearances include the role of Maniac in Accidental Death of an Anarchist, for which he received an Olivier Award.
He’s probably best known for his film roles, including Boris Grishenko in Goldeneye, Nightcrawler in X-Men 2, and Fegan Floop in the Sky Kids franchise.
On TV, he has portrayed Billie Blaikie in The L Word, Eli Gold in The Good Wife, Dr. Dylan Reinhart in Instinct, and Simon Hoxley in Prodigal Son.
Alan Cumming has written the novel Tommy’s Tale, and two autobiographical books – Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir, and Baggage: Tales From a Fully Packed Life.
He describes himself as a “Scottish elf trapped inside middle aged man’s body”. Alan is also a singer and activist.
What has Alan Cumming been in?
Alan Cumming first starred acting in 1984, with a guest role in the series Travelling Man. He was 19 at the time. He followed up with minor TV roles in Taggart, Shadow of the Stone, and Take the High Road.
But it was his feature film debut in the 1992 film Prague which helped launch his successful career. The movie premiered at Cannes and he was rewarded with a Scottish BAFTA for the role.
He later starred alongside Minnie Driver in the 1995 film Circle of Friends. In the same year, he starred in the James Bond film GoldenEye. Alan played an evil henchman under baddie Alec Trevelyan, played by Sean Bean. He also starred as Mr Elton in the 1996 version of Jane Austen’s classic Emma.
You might also recognise him for his role in Disney’s Sky Kids, where he played Fegan Floop – the television star and baddie-turned-goodie in the film. On TV, he’s probably best known for his role in the US series The Good Wife. Alan received three Emmy nominations for his role as crisis manager Eli Gold.
In 2018, he also starred in Doctor Who, playing King James I in the episode The Witchfinders. More recently, he starred in the Apple TV comedy musical series Schmigadoon! as Mayor Aloysius Menlove. In 2023, he also portrayed Fin Gorale in the podcast series Evergreen, Flaxman in festive film Genie, and the narrator of The Tiny Chef Show.
How old is The Traitors star Alan Cumming?
Alan Cumming was born on January 27 1965.
He is currently 59 years of age.
In 2025, Alan will turn 60.
Where is Alan Cumming from?
Alan Cumming was born on Aberfeldy, Perthshire, in Scotland.
His mother, Mary Darling, was an insurance company secretary and appeared in Alan’s documentary series Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland.
Alan Cumming’s dad was the head forester of Panmure Estate, which is located near Carnoustie, on the east coast of Scotland. This is where Alan grew up.
In the C4 three-part series, Alan returned to his childhood home in Carnoustie where he recalled his abusive childhood.
On November 7 2008, Alan became a dual-national and was sworn in as a citizen of the US.
Is Alan Cumming married?
Vegan and atheist Alan is bisexual. He currently lives in Manhattan with his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, and their dogs, Jerry and Lala.
Alan’s ebony black rescue pup, Lala, is currently appearing alongside his owner on The Traitors US.
Actor Alan and Grant dated for two years before joining in a civil partnership at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, in January 2007. They legally married in New York in January 2012, the fifth anniversary of their London union.
Before his relationship with Grant, Alan was married to actress Hilary Lyon. She’s the star of Chef!, Dangerfield, Taggart, Outlander, and Trust Me.
Alan has said that he didn’t enter his first marriage for “the right reasons”. The presenter tied the knot with Hilary Lyon in 1985, seeking security and hoping to prove to his divorced parents that he could succeed where they failed.
“That’s not a great thing to do,” Cumming told PEOPLE. “I wouldn’t recommend that. I was 21 when I got married the first time, and I knew I was bisexual when I was married the first time, as did my wife.”
Alan Cumming came out publicly in 1998, the year after appearing in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, and Spice World.
He subsequently had a two-year relationship with British actress Saffron Burrows, star of You, who is now married to TV producer Alison Balian. Alan also had a six-year relationship with theatre director Nick Philippou.
Does Alan Cumming have children?
He has previously admitted a desire to “adopt a child”, but that his life was “too hectic”.
In fact, he and first wife Hilary Lyon attempted to conceive a child during their marriage. However, he has since admitted he’s “relieved” it didn’t happen, because life “would’ve been very different”.
He told People magazine: “I have friends who have broken up and they’re co-parenting. And I think that’s really difficult.
“I think of it as a blessing that didn’t happen because of the way my life went afterwards and how difficult it would’ve been. I probably wouldn’t have had the inclination to come and live in America, perhaps, if that meant I wasn’t going to see my child. Everything happens for a reason.”
He later gave up on plans to start a family because he lost the desire to have children as he grew older.
Alan told the London Evening Standard newspaper: “For a long time, I really wanted to have a child. I was obsessed with it; I wrote a novel that was basically about what you do with those feelings. I looked into it with a couple of people.
“Now, with Grant, I have a relationship that would be suitable to bring children into, but I don’t want to. I think I should have the right to adopt through the state system, but I don’t feel I need children to feel fulfilled with my life… I got older, I think, probably. And I got content. I think that’s it.”
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Did Alan Cumming suffer childhood abuse?
In his autobiography Not My Father’s Son, Alan Cumming described the emotional and physical violence his father inflicted on him in his childhood.
His father was violent and regularly beat Alan.
Alan wrote: “I actually think the prolonged period of tension before landing his blows, as we were systematically inspected, chided, and humiliated, had a far worse effect than the actual hits.”
He went on: “My father continued to have affairs throughout my childhood, and they were not subtle or discreet. I understood that I had to collude, to protect my father, even though he didn’t deserve it.”
In more shocking confessions, Alan said: “My father told me I was worthless, my mother that I was precious. They couldn’t both be right, but they evened each other out and I began to make my own mind up, not just about myself but about everything that was going on around me.”
Alan had no communication with his father until just before the filming of his episode of the series Who Do You Think You Are? He then found out his father had believed that Alan was not his biological son. Later, Alan and his younger brother took DNA tests that proved they were indeed his biological children.
Is his father still alive?
Speaking on Desert Island Discs, Alan shared that his father was “very violent”. He sometimes worried that he would die due to his father’s abuse, and recalled thinking: “Oh my God, I am going to die here.”
Alan’s father passed away from cancer in 2010. He lost contact with him for nearly 20 years before his death, only reconnecting with him while filming Who Do You Think You Are? in 2010.
His father believed that Alan and his brother were not his biological children. Alan and his brother took a DNA test that proved this was a total fabrication by their father.
He shared: “I told him I thought he was a coward because I had been the one to go and find out the truth – and he had used a fallacy that he had believed as a justification to abuse me all these years.”
Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland on Channel 4
The three-part series, which aired on C4 in 2021, saw actors Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming take off on a camper-van adventure to rediscover their Scottish roots.
They started out in their one-time mutual home of Glasgow. Although Miriam, now 83, was born in Oxford, the actress visited the street where her Jewish family first lived in Scotland. The pair then journeyed north into the Highlands.
Alan learnt about his ancestral past at Cawdor Castle, and they meet up with fellow actor Bill Paterson. Later, Alan took viewers to his childhood home in Carnoustie where he remembered his abusive childhood.
He remembered the traumatic moment his bullying father cut his hair with a pair of shears.
Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland and Beyond was the second series of the travelogue, and aired in 2022. In the second run, Call the Midwife star Miriam Margolyes and Alan rediscovered more Scottish roots.
Along with Alan’s dog Lala, they journeyed to their “other” mutual home, the California coast. Miriam and Alan took in some of Scotland’s most spectacular locations, kicking off the Scottish leg on the Harry Potter Express steam train, before climbing back into their campervan to visit the Cairngorms.
They also had a go at modern orienteering, had a close encounter with a reindeer, and hooked up with old friend Brian Cox at his old stomping ground, the Dundee Rep.
Is The Traitors presenter Alan Cumming a vegan?
Alan Cumming is indeed a vegan, and has been for more than a decade.
He became vegetarian in early 2010, and made it his 2012 New Year’s resolution to remove all animal products from his diet, becoming fully vegan. In 2020, he teamed up with vegan groups to deliver plant-based pies to the homeless.
He works with the animal rights organisation PETA, which awarded him its Humanitarian Award in 2017.
Speaking to the vegan charity Viva, he said: “I just don’t like meat. Rotten carcasses don’t feel good inside in my body. I’ve also seen some horrible documentaries about the hormones and things that go into meat. On a health level, meat is so scary.”
Was Alan Cumming related to Pee Wee Herman?
Some TV viewers believe Alan Cumming bears a striking resemblance to the late Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens.
However, the actors were not related.
US actor Paul Reubens rose to fame in the 1980s as the comedy character Pee-wee Herman. He died of cancer in 2023, at the age of 70.
At the time, Scottish actor and, as they had both agreed, Reubens-lookalike, Alan Cumming said he was “a true idiosyncratic genius”.
Can Alan Cumming sing?
As well as acting, presenting and writing, Alan also has an impressive singing voice.
He’s starred in several West End and Broadway productions, including the revival of the musical Cabaret. He also had his own touring cabaret show – Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs. The show received huge critical acclaim.
You can also hear his singing voice in the recent Apple TV musical comedy series Schmigadoon!
How tall is The Traitors presenter Alan Cumming?
According to his IMDb profile, Alan is 1.78 metres tall, which is 5 foot 8 inches.
Compared to his fellow Goldeneye co-star Sean Bean, he is a touch smaller. Sean is 1.79 metres tall.
Was Alan in The Hunger Games?
While Alan Cumming was not in the movie versions of The Hunger Games, he’s been linked to the stage show.
Alan is rumoured to be playing Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games – On Stage.
Suzanne Collins’ internationally acclaimed novel The Hunger Games (and Lionsgate’s worldwide box office film) will make its debut in London in January 2025.
In a brand-new epic stage production adapted by Conor McPherson (Girl from the North Country), The Hunger Games is a gripping tale of courage, defiance, and the unbreakable human spirit.
The cast has not yet been confirmed.
Alan Cumming hosts The Traitors US on BBC Three on Monday, June 17, 2024 at 8pm (and subsequent evenings until Thursday). All episodes are currently on BBC iPlayer.
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