Part of Home Alone featuring Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, and Roberts Blossom.
Rise to Fame
He nearly upstaged John Candy in Uncle Buck and was pulling $8 million per film by 14. Home Alone was the pivot: director Chris Columbus reportedly auditioned over 200 kids before circling back, and the film grossed $477 million worldwide. The follow-up salaries escalated fast, $5 million for Home Alone 2, $8 million for Richie Rich. His father's controlling management turned toxic, a parental custody battle over Culkin's fortune consumed the mid-nineties, and a career that peaked at 10 was done before he was old enough to drive.
In the Spotlight
He describes himself as 'semi-retired,' which is generous given how little he's actually acted since the early 2000s. American Horror Story: Double Feature in 2021 was his most substantive role in years. A walk-of-fame star came in December 2023, officially acknowledging 40 years in the industry. He has two young sons with Brenda Song, runs the satirical media company Bunny Ears, and sold his Toluca Lake house for $14.25 million in early 2026. His kids watch Home Alone every Christmas. His eldest thinks he actually is Kevin McCallister.
Side Notes
The friendship with Michael Jackson started when Jackson called after Home Alone hit, having seen something of himself in Culkin's sudden fame. Culkin testified at Jackson's 2005 molestation trial that nothing happened, and is the godfather of all three of Jackson's kids. He launched Bunny Ears in 2018 to explicitly parody Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. In 2019, after a public poll on that same website, he legally changed his name to Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin. No one required him to do that, which is probably the point.