The Culkin Siblings: All About Macaulay and Kieran's Brothers and Sisters

Mar. 15, 2025

Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin.Photo: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

From starring inHome Aloneas children to becoming fathers,MacaulayandKieran Culkinhave been in the public eye for most of their lives. They come from a massive showbiz family, with some of their siblings also making names for themselves in Hollywood.

The actors’ fatherKit Culkinand his longtime partner,Patricia Brentrup, who were together from 1974 to 1995 but never married, shared seven children together: Shane, Dakota, Macaulay, Kieran, Quinn, Christian and Rory. Kit worked as a Broadway theater actor before managing his sons' careers in the ’80s and ’90s.

Prior to his relationship with Brentrup, Kit and former partner Adeena VanWagoner welcomed a daughter, Jennifer Adamson. Adamson died of a drug overdose in 2000.

In a 2018 appearance onWTFwith Marc Maron, Macaulay opened up about his turbulent relationship with his father, saying their difficulties stemmed from the fact that, as a child, he far surpassed his father’s own acting career.

Here’s everything to know about the Culkin siblings: Macaulay, Kieran, Rory, Dakota, Quinn, Shane, Christian and Jennifer.

Macaulay Culkin, 44

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Macaulay Culkinwas born in New York City on Aug. 26, 1980, and is the third oldest child of Kit and Brentrup.

He rose to fame for starring in theHome Alonemovie franchise as a child. His other notable childhood roles includeMy Girl, The NutcrackerandRichie Rich.

During his childhood, Macaulay also had acontroversial friendshipwith the late musicianMichael Jackson. In a 2019 appearance onMichael Rosenbaum’s podcastInside of You, Macaulay said, despite their large age gap, the friendship was “normal and mundane.”

After finding huge success as a child star, Macaulay took a step back from acting, which he attributed to his strained relationship with his father, who was also his manager.

“I even wanted to take a break for a while and eventually I was like ‘I’m done guys, hope you all made your money because there is no more coming from me,’ " he told Maron in 2018.

At just 15 years old,Macaulay sued his parentsto remove them as legal guardians in control of the $17 million he had earned from acting.

In 2013, he formed a pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band, thePizza Underground. During his appearanceWTF, the actor revealed that the group had dissolved, saying, “I was a little tired of it, to be completely honest.”

In 2016, Macaulay started a satirical website,Bunny Ears, and in 2019, he launched anaccompanying podcastof the same name. In 2018, he held a poll on his website to decide on a new middle name. He reportedlychanged his middle nameto “Macaulay Culkin” in 2019, making his full name Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin. He eventually returned to acting in 2020, starring in season 10 ofAmerican Horror Story.

In December 2024, Macaulay toldThe New York Timeshe considered buying the famousHome Alonehouse when it was up for sale “just for giggles” and turn it into a “movie fun house,” but ultimately decided against it.

“I got kids. I’m busy, man,” he said.

As for his personal life, Macaulayquietly datedactressMila Kunisfrom 2002 to 2011. In 2017, he started dating actressBrenda Songand the pair welcomed their first child, Dakota, in 2021. They announced their engagement in January 2022. In March 2023, Macaulay’s brother Kieran confirmed that the couplehad quietly welcomed their second child.

Kieran Culkin, 42

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Kieran Kyle Culkinwas born in N.Y.C. on Sept. 30, 1982, and is the middle child of Kit and Brentrup. In 2018, Kieran toldVanity Fairthat, like Macaulay, he did not have contact with his father.

He got his start as a child actor, appearing in a small role alongside his brother Macaulay inHome AloneandHome Alone 2: Lost in New York. He also appeared inFather of the BrideandFather of the Bride Part II.

Kieran gained wider recognition as a main cast member on HBO’sSuccession. His performance earned him aslew of award nominations, including best supporting actor at theGolden Globesin 2018, 2020 and 2021. He also won a 2023 Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor.

In 2013, Kieran marriedJazz Chartonand the pair share two children:Kinsey Sioux, born in 2019, andWilder Wolf, born in 2021.

During an interview withEsquirein March 2023, Kieran recalled Macaulay’s rise to childhood fame — and how all the attention, mostly from the media, made his brother uncomfortable.

“Even at that time, as a kid,I remember thinking, ‘That sucks for him,'” theSuccessionstar shared. “Poor f—ing guy. He was little and having to try to accept that level of fame as reality.”

Macaulay’s loss of privacy led Kieran to have an “unhealthy relationship” with his own acting career.

“I really wanted to [be an actor], but I didn’t want to be successful at it,” he told the outlet.

Kieran won the award for Best Supporting Actor — his first ever Oscar — at the97th Academy Awardsin March 2025 for his role inA Real Painand thanked Charton on stage.

“I love you Jazz,” he said. “I have tothank my wifeJazz for absolutely everything, for giving me my favorite people in the world.”

Rory Culkin, 35

Rory Hugh Culkin was born in N.Y.C. on July 21, 1989, and is the youngest child of Kit and Brentrup.

In 2018, Rory married cinematographer Sarah Scrivener in New Orleans.

Dakota Culkin

Born in N.Y.C. on June 15, 1978,Dakota “Cody” Culkinwas the second child of Kit and Brentrup.

Like her siblings, she was interested in film, but Dakota preferred to be on the other side of the camera. She served as an art production assistant on the 2009 supernatural thrillerLost Soul.

After her death, Dakota’s friend Andrea Poe told PEOPLE that she had recently moved from N.Y.C. to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film production.

“She was very low-key [about her name], but at the same time proud of her siblings,” Poe said. “She was very close to Macaulay. They would talk frequently on the phone or go out to eat.”

In 2021, Kieran reflected onhis sister’s tragic deathin an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.

“I accepted at the time that this is going to be forever, and it’s never going to be fine. It’s always going to be devastating,” he told the outlet. “I still weep about it out of nowhere. Something funny she did will pop in the head and make me laugh, and then I’m weeping.”

In April 2021, Macaulaynamed his sonafter his late sister.

Quinn Culkin, 40

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Born on Nov. 8, 1984, in N.Y.C., Quinn Culkin is the third youngest child of Kit and Brentrup.

Quinn originally followed in her famous siblings’ footsteps, though her acting career was short-lived. She worked on two films,Wish KidandThe Good Son, both of which also starred her brother Macaulay.

Shane Culkin, 48

Shane Culkin was born in 1976 in N.Y.C. and is the eldest child of Kit and Brentrup.

In 1988, Shane played Wally Webb inOur Townon Broadway atLincoln Center Theater. For the most part, however, he tends to stay out of the public eye.

Christian Culkin, 37

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Christian Culkin was born in 1987 and is the second youngest child of Kit and Brentrup.

He appeared in the 1994 filmMy Summer Storyalongside his brother Kieran, but he has no further acting credits.

Jennifer Adamson

The Culkin siblings' half-sister, Jennifer Adamson, was born on June 27, 1970, in N.Y.C. She was the eldest child of Kit from a previous relationship with Adeena VanWagoner.

Adamson graduated from Sentinel High School in 1988 and then attended Seattle Central Community College.

On May 20, 2000, at age 29, she died of a drug overdose at her home in Missoula, Montana. According to her obituary intheMissoulian, Adamson worked as a supervisor at a group home for adults with disabilities.

source: people.com