Macaulay Culkin, Kieran Culkin and Rory Culkin are household names in Hollywood after rising to fame as child stars back in the ’80s and ’90s.
The boys have respectively starred in some of the most iconic Hollywood films of all time, including Home Alone, My Girl, Richie Rich, Signs, and Father of the Bride.
The trio are the sons of Patricia Brentrup and actor Christopher “Kit” Culkin, a father of eight (two of his eight children have died) who found considerable success on Broadway.
Patricia and Kit welcomed seven children together – the boys plus Shane, Dakota, Quinn, Christian.
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His daughter Jennifer, who he shared with Adeena VanWagoner, died in 2000 – while Dakota passed away in 2008.
Despite having the Culkin name, their aunt is Die Hard actress Bonnie Bedelia (born Bonnie Bedelia Culkin), Macaulay and Kieran are estranged from their father.
The pair have spoken publicly in recent years about their mother bringing them up with little-to-no money and their non-existent relationship with their actor father.
Despite having risen to fame as a child star, it’s been a rocky road for Macaulay in recent years. Now, he’s back on top, having recently received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Brother Rory showed his support for his sibling by attending the ceremony with sister Quinn.
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Kieran has also enjoyed considerable success in recent months, having won a Golden Globe and an Emmy this year for his work on the hit drama Succession.
9Honey Celebrity takes a look at what happened to the Culkin brothers and where they are now.
How did the Culkin brothers get into acting?
The boys certainly took their father’s lead when it came to acting – and soon outshone his success.
Macaulay, now 43, appeared in an uncredited role in the TV movie The Midnight Hour in 1985, before appearing in an episode of The Equalizer TV show in 1988.
Other roles soon followed – he was reportedly cast in Rocket Gilbraltar by a neighbour’s friend – but his standout role was as Kevin McCallister 1990’s Home Alone.
Brother Kieran starred in the film as his on-screen sibling Fuller McAllister.
Macaulay said he doesn’t really watch some of the films that made him famous, and told Ellen DeGeneres about Home Alone: “I’m remembering that day on set, like, how I was hiding my Pepsi behind the couch. I can’t watch it the same way other people can.”
Rory played the younger versions of his brother’s characters in 1993’s The Good Son and 1994’s Richie Rich, but soon went on to work on hit films including Signs and Scream 4.
Macaulay has claimed in the past that his father Kit was jealous of his fame.
“Everything he tried to do in life, I excelled at before I was 10 years old,” he told WTF.
He also alleged his father was abusive “physically and mentally,” Kit’s late partner has reportedly denied the claims.
Kieran told The Hollywood Reporter: ”He wasn’t a good person and, yeah, probably not a good parent … I never looked at him as Dad. He didn’t really belong here, and when he was finally gone for good, it made the most sense.”
Kieran last saw his dad in 2014, backstage at a Broadway play, but is believed to have not spoken to him since 2021.
The estrangement
The family lived in a tiny apartment in New York and struggled to make ends meet when the kids were growing up.
Kit reportedly managed Macauley’s earnings, but after his parents split – they were never married – the young star took action. He soon learned he was worth a whopping $US50 million (approx. $76 million).
”I had millions and millions of dollars in the bank and my mother couldn’t pay the rent because she was spending all of her money on lawyers. We were about to get evicted from our apartment,” he reportedly told New York Magazine.
He recently told Esquire: “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, someone who would look over my finances, just in case anyone wanted to stick their f–king pinkie in the pie.
“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.”
Avoiding the limelight
In recent years, Macaulay took a hiatus from the spotlight and lived in France, but recently made a comeback.
“I don’t just turn my back, I actively don’t want it,” he said of the spotlight to The Guardian.
“The paps go after me because I don’t w—e myself out.”
After his appearance in photographs some years ago sparked concern, he told the publication: “No, I was not pounding six grand of heroin every month or whatever”.
“The thing that bugged me was tabloids wrapping it all in this weird guise of concern. No, you’re trying to shift papers,” he added.
The comeback
Two months ago, Macaulay was surrounded by family and friends as he was honoured with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Home Alone star, 43, unveiled his own star on Hollywood Boulevard alongside his fiancée, fellow child star Brenda Song and their two sons, two-year-old Dakota Song Culkin and their one-year-old, whose name has not been revealed but whose birth was revealed in March.
During his speech he tearfully addressed Song, 35, who he has been with for five years.
“I’d like to thank Brenda. You are absolutely everything,” Culkin said through tears.
“You’re my champion. You’re the only person happier for me today than I am. You’re not only the best woman I’ve ever known, you’re the best person I’ve ever known.
“You give me purpose. You give me family. And after the birth of our two boys, you’ve become one of my three favourite people,” he joked.
“You’re somewhere in there.”
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Also at the ceremony was his “mum”, actress Catherine O’Hara.
The actress played the mum who was responsible for leaving Culkin’s character behind in both Home Alone films, which she mentioned in her speech for him.
“Thank you for including me, your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice, to share in this happy occasion,” she said.
“I’m so proud of you.”
According to Page Six, Patricia Brentrup, now 69, has been having some health issues of late. Her partner confirmed the news to the publication.
This year, Kieran won a Golden Globe award and an Emmy for his role in Succession.
In his Emmys speech, the actor paid tribute to his mother.
“She’s just an absolutely wonderful woman who took on raising seven kids in a studio apartment, by herself,” he reportedly said backstage.
“There was a guy there [Kit] – he didn’t do anything.”
Kieran has found happiness and shares two children with wife Jazz Charton.
Rory was married to cinematographer Sarah Scrivener, but the pair recently split.