What Kieran Culkin's Relationship With His Brother Macaulay Is Like

Macaulay Culkin has a favorite sibling, and it's not his younger brother, Kieran Culkin. In a light-hearted interview for his satirical website BunnyEars, the "Home Alone" star ranked his siblings and placed Rory Culkin in the coveted number one spot. Although Kieran initially held third place, Macaulay explained that he bumped him to runner-up after watching the actor's phenomenal performance in "Succession." The former child star cheekily added that his rankings might change if Kieran took home the 2021 Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor (he didn't, so third it is). 

All joking aside, it's evident that the brothers share a close bond thanks in large part to their tumultuous childhood with their father, Kit Culkin, whom they've both been estranged from in adulthood. When Macaulay appeared on the "WTF With Marc Maron" podcast, in 2018, he noted that Kit was a failed actor who couldn't accept that his son had become a breakout star at such a young age. Kit expressed his jealousy through physical and mental abuse. Meanwhile, Kieran told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn't suffer abuse at the hands of his father, "But, he wasn't a good person and, yeah, probably not a good parent." 

The Golden Globe winner continued, "He didn't really belong here, and when he was finally gone for good, it made the most sense." Although it's normal for siblings to feel overshadowed by each other's accomplishments at a young age, Kieran didn't share the same sentiment because he used to pity Macaulay for his "Home Alone" fame. 

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

In Kieran Culkin's chat with THR, he shared a sad incident from his older brother's childhood. "He would get harassed on the street," Kieran revealed. "One time, a woman pulled off his hat and looked at him and said, 'Yeah, it's him! You're not that cute.' And then handed the hat back and walked away." Likewise, for most people, being mistaken for your younger, more popular sibling in their childhood can be a self-esteem hit, but for Kieran, it created a hilarious story. 

The "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" star recalled when someone asked him for a picture thinking he was "Macluckly Macluckly." Although Kieran clarified he wasn't the person they were looking for, he sadly believed they would never find him because nobody with that name could exist in the real world. When speaking to Esquire in 2023, Kieran confessed that even at his young age, it was evident to him that his brother was far too young to bear the burdens of fame. 

Macaulay Culkin's success negatively affected their family, too. Paparazzi chased them all over town, gossip magazines thrived on their trauma, and things only got worse when their parents went through a very public divorce in 1995. Eventually, 13-year-old Kieran got so frustrated that he decided to take matters into his own hands, penning a strongly worded letter to the court requesting them to keep the press away. Sadly, his prayers went unanswered, but the siblings stuck together through it all and ultimately came out stronger.  

During Kieran Culkin's "Saturday Night Live" monologue, the actor reminisced about how he previously appeared on the show when Macaulay hosted as a child. Towards the end, young Kieran saw Macaulay basking in the glory as his castmates carried him around. Naturally, that sparked some envy, so he gestured to Kevin Nealon to pick him up, and once he obliged, Kieran did some adorable macho poses and angrily pouted. Thankfully, the jealousy didn't carry over into adulthood, and the brothers have continued to support each other without letting go of their comedic spirit. 

When Kieran attended the Golden Globes in 2021, Macaulay took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to pen some satirical posts about how he had no idea they'd invited his brother. A little while later, the "Home Alone" breakout seemingly learned that Kieran was not just an attendee but a nominee and vowed to start watching "Succession" after he learned what it was. Macaulay grew even more excited when he saw Kieran at the event and urged him to encourage Lady Gaga to follow him back on the platform. 

When Us Weekly made Kieran aware of the posts, he gushed, "Have you checked out his [parody lifestyle site] Bunny Ears? Yeah, and did you see his Google ad? How awesome was that?" In March 2023, we learned that Macaulay and his now-fiancée, Brenda Song, had welcomed their second child when Kieran shared the news with "Access Hollywood." Sadly, they hadn't been able to introduce their second kids to each other because of his packed schedule.