For most people, family bonds last a lifetime, but for Macaulay Culkin, that hasn’t been the case with his father, Kit Culkin.
Despite rising to global fame as a child star in Home Alone, Macaulay’s real-life childhood was anything but picture-perfect.
Now, at 44, he’s opening up about the painful relationship with his father that has kept them estranged for three decades.
A Childhood Overshadowed by Fame and Resentment
Macaulay’s journey into Hollywood began at a young age, but it wasn’t necessarily his own dream—it was his father’s.
Kit Culkin, a former stage actor, pushed his son into show business, managing his career with an iron grip.
However, instead of being a supportive figure, Kit harbored what Macaulay describes as jealousy and resentment toward his success.
“He wanted to be an actor himself, and then all of a sudden, he had this kid who was booking every lead role right away,” Macaulay explained. “I think he hated me a little bit for that.”
A Family Torn Apart by a Custody Battle
By the mid-90s, the pressure of fame, money, and family tension reached a breaking point.
When Macaulay’s parents split in 1995, a bitter custody battle followed—not just over their children, but over the fortune Macaulay had amassed.
The young star, realizing he was worth $50 million, took the drastic step of going to court to remove his parents’ names from his trust fund.
“During the whole custody thing, I wanted nothing to do with my f***ing father. He was just the worst,” he recalled.
Physical and Emotional Abuse Behind Closed Doors
Macaulay’s strained relationship with his father wasn’t just about control over his career—it was deeply personal.
He has spoken openly about the abuse he endured, describing his father as “physically and mentally abusive.”
He recalled how Kit would force him to rehearse all night, make him sleep on the couch as a form of punishment, and use fear to control him. “He wanted me to know he was in charge.
If he didn’t want me to sleep on a bed, I wasn’t going to sleep on a bed,” Macaulay shared in an interview.
One of the most chilling memories he revealed was how Kit would use physical threats to ensure his acting was up to standard. “[He said], ‘Do good or I’ll hit you.’
He was a bad man,” Macaulay told podcast host Marc Maron. “I can show you all my scars if I wanted to.”
Standing His Ground Against the Court’s Orders
Even after breaking free from his father’s control, the legal system still tried to force a connection.
The court required Macaulay to maintain visitations with Kit, but he refused. “I told my lawyer, ‘I dare the judge to put me in jail for not wanting to visit my abusive father.’
And honestly? I double dared him to arrest the most famous kid in the world.”
Lessons Learned: A Different Path for His Own Kids
Now a father himself to two young sons, Dakota and Carson, whom he shares with fiancée Brenda Song, Macaulay sees his own childhood as an example of what not to do.
“One of my earliest memories was thinking, ‘When I grow up, this is how I’m not going to be with my kids,'” he said.
“Now that I have kids of my own, it brings up so many emotions. I can’t believe he was like that.”
Moving Forward Without Looking Back
Though his brother Kieran Culkin has remained active in Hollywood, even winning an Oscar last month, neither he nor any of their six siblings have contact with Kit.
The Culkin children have collectively distanced themselves from the man who once controlled so much of their lives.
Despite the pain of his past, Macaulay now focuses on his own family, ensuring that history does not repeat itself.
For Macaulay, the wounds may never fully heal, but one thing is clear—he has no interest in reconnecting with the man who made his childhood so painful.