Kieran Culkin Recalls Feeling Sorry For Brother Macaulay After ‘Home Alone’ Fame Led To ‘Hard’ Childhood

Mar 30, 2023

Macaulay Culkin became arguably the most famous child actor since Shirley Temple after starring in the 1990 Christmas comedy “Home Alone.” While fame followed, so too did overwhelming publicity, particularly when the Culkins personal family drama that ensued in the courts became a massive media spectacle. The press had a field day reporting on the tumult between Macaulay’s parents. Unfortunately, Macaulay’s seven siblings were not spared from being affected by tumult, something his younger brother Kieran Culkin, also an actor, revealed. 

Macaulay is known to people worldwide as the adorable yet mischievous Kevin McAllister, the little boy from the “Home Alone” movies. Even though Macaulay grew up and continued working as an actor — albeit in more niche and alternative roles — he’s never really shaken his image as the “Home Alone” kid.

What you might not know about Macaulay is that he has a younger brother, Kieran, who also starred in “Home Alone.” Kieran starred alongside his real-life brother as Kevin’s cousin Fuller. Although the role was minor, you might remember the scene in which McAllister’s mom tells the youngster to “Go easy on the Pepsi!”

Out of their seven siblings, the two brothers – along with youngest brother Rory – are the only ones to have made a career out of acting.

In the decades since Macaulay first burst onto our screens, the details of his life have come to light. The picture of a happy child actor that we might have glimpsed on-screen was shattered when the world learned about his home life. Pushed to work by his father, it was only in his teen years was Macaulay was able to gain independence and live his life on his own terms. And Kieran was there the whole time to witness it. In an interview with Esquire in 2020, Kieran revealed what he saw.

After the original “Home Alone” made Macaulay a household name, he went on to star in more films, some of which did better than others. They included the sequel to the blockbuster Christmas hit, “My Girl,” “The Good Son,” “The Pagemaster” and “Richie Rich,” after which Macaulay decided to retire from acting for good. Part of the reason for the decision was the family disorder going on behind the scenes, in particular his manager father, Kit Culkin’s questionable decisions regarding the money Macaulay was making from his films. The chaos escalated when Macaulay parents split, and the custody battle over the children dragged on for two years. By then, Macaulay’s earnings had reportedly reached upwards of $20 million. Macaulay told Esquire in February 2020 that while he initially enjoyed acting because he was “good at it and I knew it. I was at least sharp enough to understand good attention,” his father’s bid to capitalize on his son financially soon grew tiring.

“It started feeling like a chore. I started vocalizing that and not being heard: I was saying, ‘I wanna go to school — I haven’t done a full year of school since first grade,’” Macaulay recalled.

When his parents – who were not married at the time – split, the custody battle was fierce. “We didn’t want to go with my father,” Macaulay said before explaining how he fought to keep what he earned for himself.

“It’s always misconstrued, that I ‘emancipated’ myself from my parents. I legally took my parents’ names off of my trust fund and found an executor… But the next thing you know, the story was that I divorced my parents. I just thought I was doing it cleanly — taking my father’s name off, taking my mom’s name off, so my opinion is unbiased.”

Privy to all the drama that unfolded back then was Macaulay’s younger brother, Kieran. Kieran also pursued acting, starring in some memorable films such as “She’s All That,” “Igby Goes Down,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” But it was the popularity of the HBO series “Succession” that really catapulted him to fame. In March 2023, he opened up to Esquire about the family turmoil instigated by his brother’s fame. He recounted how, at the age of 13, he submitted a written plea to the courts not to allow the press to report on his parents’ custody hearings. He told the magazine he wrote:

“Your Honor, I ask you please to spare my family any further embarrassment by letting the press in the courtroom. It has already been hard on us and I see no point to it.” 

However, his plea fell on deaf ears and was denied, allowing the press into the courtroom and elongating the media circus. Until now, Kieran has refused to give interviews to two outlets in particular – Access Hollywood and the New York Post – due to what he described as their malicious and dishonest reporting on his family in the past.

While his brother’s travails did not discourage him from pursuing acting, Kieran confessed that, even from a young age, he felt sadness and sympathy for him.

“Poor f*****g guy. He was little and having to try to accept that level of fame as reality… Even at that time, as a kid, I remember thinking, That sucks for him,” Kieran revealed.

The two brothers have since settled into parenthood themselves. Macaulay shares two young sons with his partner, actress Brenda Song, while Kieran has a son and a daughter whom he shares with his wife, Jazz Charton.

What are your thoughts on Macaulay and Kieran’s tumultuous childhood? Are you glad to see them both settling well into parenthood? Let us know, and if you found this interesting, be sure to pass it along to friends and family, too.