If you close your eyes and think of Christmas, you probably see a ten-year-old kid in a cream-colored sweater slapping his cheeks and screaming. It’s been over thirty years. Thirty! Yet, every December, we all collectively decide to watch a young Macaulay Culkin terrorize two grown men with micro-machines and a blowtorch. But the question that usually pops up right around the second glass of eggnog is: where is kevin home alone now?
Honestly, the answer isn’t a tragic "child star gone wrong" story, though the tabloids tried their hardest to make it one for decades.
Macaulay Culkin is 45 years old today. Let that sink in. The boy who was "essentially retired" by age 14 is now a father of two, an occasional prestige TV actor, and—believe it or not—genuinely happy. He isn't hiding in a basement in Chicago. He’s living a quiet, somewhat eccentric life that looks a lot more like a success story than most people realize.
The "Kevin Home Alone Now" Reality: Life After the Scream
For a long time, Culkin was the poster child for the "troubled kid actor." We saw the emancipation from his parents at 16. We saw the 2004 mugshot. We heard the rumors. But if you’ve looked at him lately—specifically during his 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony—he looks... healthy. Stable. Even a bit sentimental.
He’s currently in a long-term relationship with fellow former child star Brenda Song. They’ve been together since 2017 after meeting on the set of Changeland. It’s a bit of a "game recognizes game" situation; both grew up in the weird, high-pressure furnace of Hollywood. They have two sons now: Dakota, named after Culkin’s late sister, and Carson.
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Watching him navigate fatherhood is a trip. He recently joked that his oldest son, Dakota, watches Home Alone and actually thinks he’s the one on screen. Imagine being four years old and seeing a 1990s version of your dad sledding down a staircase.
Why He Quit (And Why He Came Back)
Culkin didn't lose his talent; he just lost his appetite for the "tube of s***" (his words) that comes with fame. He spent years living a "bicontinental" life between New York and France, mostly just walking around because, in Paris, people didn't bother him as much.
But then, the "Kevin home alone now" era took a turn toward acting again.
- American Horror Story (2021): He played Mickey in Double Feature, and he was brilliant. It reminded everyone that the kid from My Girl actually had serious chops.
- The Righteous Gemstones: He popped up as Baby Billy’s estranged son, looking lean, tattooed, and perfectly cast.
- Fallout Season 2: As of early 2026, he’s officially joined the cast of the Prime Video hit. It's a "crazy genius" type role that fits his vibe perfectly.
- Zootopia 2: He even lent his voice to the Disney sequel.
He isn't chasing the leading man roles anymore. He’s chasing "fun."
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Is There Actually a Home Alone Sequel Coming?
This is the big one. Every year, a fake trailer for Home Alone 3: Kevin’s Revenge goes viral on Facebook. It usually features a deep-faked Culkin looking grizzled and hunting down an elderly Joe Pesci.
It’s fake. Every time.
However, during his "A Nostalgic Night with Macaulay Culkin" tour in late 2025, he actually dropped a real pitch. He said he’s "not allergic" to the idea of a legacy sequel, but it has to be right. His idea? Kevin is a divorced or widowed dad who works too much and doesn't pay enough attention to his own kid. The kid gets "miffed," locks Kevin out of the house, and Kevin has to break into his own home while dodging his son’s traps.
It’s meta. It’s dark. It’s probably the only way he’d ever do it.
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Until then, he’s been playing with the legacy in smaller ways. In late 2025, he starred in a "Home but Not Alone" ad campaign for Home Instead. In the ads, he reprises Kevin to show how to care for aging parents—specifically his "movie mom" Catherine O’Hara. Seeing them together again hit the internet right in the feels.
The Money Question
People always wonder if he's broke. He isn't.
Despite rumors that he doesn't get royalties from the original film (which is a debated topic in the industry regarding 90s contracts), his net worth is estimated at around $25 million in 2026. He was one of the highest-paid actors in the world as a kid, and because he "retired" early and lived simply, he kept most of it. He doesn't need to work. He works because he wants to.
Breaking the Myths
Let's clear up some things that people still get wrong about the man behind Kevin McCallister.
- The Michael Jackson Thing: Culkin has never wavered. He has consistently defended his friendship with Jackson, stating that nothing inappropriate ever happened. He’s the godfather to Paris Jackson and remains very close to her.
- The "Retirement": He isn't retired, but he is selective. If you see him on screen, it’s because he liked the script or the people. He isn't paying a mortgage; he's having a mid-40s adventure.
- The Substance Abuse: While he had a rough patch in his early 20s, the "junkie" narrative that followed him for a decade was largely fueled by one bad photo and tabloid exaggeration.
How to Keep Up With Him
If you want the real "Kevin home alone now" experience, skip the gossip sites. He’s most active through his brand, Bunny Ears. It’s a satirical lifestyle site and podcast that feels like a mix of The Onion and Goop. It’s weird, it’s self-deprecating, and it’s exactly the kind of thing a guy who spent his childhood being "America’s Sweetheart" would create to stay sane.
What you can do next:
If you're feeling nostalgic, you can actually track down the recent "Home but Not Alone" shorts on YouTube to see him and Catherine O'Hara reunite. Also, keep an eye on the Fallout Season 2 casting news—his role is rumored to be one of the weirdest additions to the wasteland yet.