Did Macaulay Culkin Actually Quit Acting Before His Recent Resurgence?

Martin Holmes January 9, 2026, 9:37 am

Macaulay Culkin has had a resurgence as of late, voicing a character in Zootopia 2 and appearing in Fallout Season 2. Now the former child actor is set to present an award at Sunday’s (January 11) Golden Globes.

On Thursday (January 8), the Home Alone star was announced as one of the presenters for the 2026 Golden Globes, which air on CBS this Sunday at 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET, live from the Beverly Hilton hotel. Culkin celebrated the news by sharing a photo of himself in a suit on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Cya Sunday.”

With Culkin’s reappearance in the spotlight, fans have been asking questions about his career and personal life, with many wondering what the beloved ’90s star has been up to in recent years.

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A post shared by Macaulay ‘Instagram’ Culkin (@culkamania)

Did he quit acting?

Culkin started acting at the age of four, with one of his first on-screen credits coming in a 1988 episode of The Equalizer. But it was his role alongside John Candy in John Hughes‘ 1989 comedy Uncle Buck that first put him on the radar. From there, he landed his breakout role as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and its 1992 sequel, making him the most recognizable child star in America.

However, after starring in the lead role in Richie Rich (1994) at 14, Culkin decided to step away from acting for almost a decade. This was the first of many semi-retirements for Culkin.

Appearing on the SmartLess podcast in December 2025, Culkin told hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes that he is “technically retired right now.”

“I retire and then, if I find something I like, I unretire, do that, and I immediately retire afterwards. Every gig is my last,” he stated.

After leaving the industry in 1994, Culkin didn’t appear on screen again until 2003, when he starred in the film Party Monster and an episode of Will & Grace. He has infrequently appeared in films and TV shows since then, including episodes of Robot Chicken, American Horror Story, and The Righteous Gemstones.

Culkin popped back up in 2025, voicing Cattrick Lynxley in Disney’s Zootopia 2 and playing the recurring part of Lacerta Legate in the second season of Prime Video’s Fallout.

Why did he disappear from the spotlight?

Culkin told the SmartLess podcast that after first quitting acting at 14, he was satisfied with his work and had made enough money that he could “just put my thumb up my butt and play video games all day long.”

He also admitted to missing being around people his own age. “When I was younger, I never worked with people my own age. I was always working with adults,” he recalled, per Entertainment Weekly. “I had a yearning to go to school, to have contemporaries and things like that.”

“I quit for nearly a decade,” he explained. “Just went to high school, fell in love, got drunk for the first time, things like that.”

What’s his net worth?

At the height of his fame in the early 1990s, Culkin was one of the highest-paid stars (child or adult) in the world. According to CelebrityNetworth, Culkin’s net worth is estimated at $25 million as of 2026.

A large portion of Culkin’s wealth was made during his childhood, though he told Ellen DeGeneres in a 2018 interview that he didn’t see that wealth until he turned 18.

“I didn’t see it until I turned 18, I call it the ‘Slip of Paper’ meeting, where they pretty much put a number on a piece of paper and slide it across the table and then—boom! There you go,” he said. “So I felt like some kid worked really, really hard, and I inherited all of his money pretty much.”

While many might assume Culkin makes his money from royalties on Home Alone, that isn’t true. According to Parade, Culkin doesn’t make ANY royalties from the holiday favorite.

Is he married?

Culkin isn’t married, but he has been in a relationship with fellow former child star Brenda Song since 2017. The couple first met at mutual friend Seth Green‘s house in 2014, but they didn’t start dating until 2017 when they were both cast on Green’s movie Changeland.

The pair went on to have two children, a son, Dakota Song Culkin (4), born in April 2021, and a second son, Carson Song Culkin (3), born in late 2022.

Whatever Happened to the Kids From 'Home Alone'?

Was he married before?

Yes. Culkin was briefly married to actress Rachel Milner. The former couple tied the knot in 1998 when they were both 18. However, the relationship was short-lived, with the pair separating in 2000 and divorcing in 2002.

While Culkin took a hiatus from acting, Milner continued to take on new roles, including appearing in the 2001 crime drama film Bully and landing recurring roles in TV shows such as Californication, Supernatural, and Sons of Anarchy. She hasn’t appeared in an acting role since a 2020 episode of Chicago Fire and is wheelchair-bound after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.

Culkin also dated actress Mila Kunis from 2002 to 2010, though the pair never married.