Macaulay Culkin’s Abusive Dad Refused to Speak With Him Even After Sister's Death in Tragic Crash | "Way It Has to Be"

Trigger Warning: The following article mentions child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

Macaulay Culkin has been very open about his experiences as a child star and his rapid ascent to fame. He has also previously been open about his experiences with his abusive father, Kit Culkin, who was violent and controlling throughout his childhood.

Once in an interview on WTF Podcast, he candidly stated, "He was a bad man. He was abusive. Physically and mentally. I can show you all my scars if I wanted to." Culkin's mother echoed these sentiments, expressing that their financial issues stemmed from greed on their father's part, per E! Online. She believed that their father's decisions turned Mack into a mere money-making machine. "We were happier living hand-to-mouth, and that's what's so hard. We don't get to enjoy what the whole family worked for together," she said to The Telegraph. 

Macaulay decided to not only step away from the industry but formally emancipate from his father. It would have been tricky for just one parent, so he was emancipated from both his parents, per Esquire. "Basically, I had millions and millions of dollars in the bank and my mother couldn't pay the rent because she was spending all of her money on lawyers," he said. "We were about to get evicted from our apartment. The only way I could get access to that money was to take my father's name off it, but I didn't want to make it messy, so I figured I'd take both their names off."

On the final day of the trial, Kit failed to appear, and all communication with his children abruptly ceased. He gained notoriety by boldly declaring to the press that he doesn't consider Mack to be his son. "I don't consider him a son anymore," he said.

The family suffered a massive tragedy when Mack's sister, Dakota, tragically passed after a car accident in 2008. The death broke Mack, and Mack's father didn't try to repair their relationship even after such a tragic death in the family. "I haven't spoken to him in about a quarter of a century. It's the way it has to be," he told Mac Maron on the WTF Podcast, emphasizing that it's served him to not be in touch with him. 

Now, Macaulay has a beautiful life. Together with his longtime partner Brenda Song of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody fame, he welcomed his first child recently and named him after his sister, Dakota. Macaulay seems to be making strides in breaking the bad parenting cycle left by his dad. In an interview with The Cut, Song revealed that they are both very "hands-on" as parents. "My fiancé and I are very hands-on. We don't have a nanny, but my mom has been here with us since my son was born... When I was working, my mom would bring my son to set so I could breastfeed and see him during the day," Song told the outlet. 

References:

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a30680749/macaulay-culkin-interview-life-now-after-home-alone-2020/

https://www.eonline.com/news/1068042/inside-kieran-and-macaulay-culkin-s-uneasy-relationship-with-fame

https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-883-macaulay-culkin-cameron-esposito

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4705759/The-father-from-hell.html

https://www.thecut.com/2022/01/how-actress-brenda-song-gets-it-done.html

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Emma McIntyre