(NewsNation) — Macaulay Culkin revealed that his parents never told him they were proud of him, something he makes sure to say to his children.
Culkin made the comments on a recent episode of the “Mythical Kitchen” podcast.
“There’s a word that I use in my household, because it’s something that I didn’t really hear enough of when I was a kid. And that’s ‘proud,’” he said.
“Man, I’m proud of my kids,” The “Home Alone” actor added, “You know, I go out there, and I’ll be like, ‘The number one movie in America’ and yada, yada, yada, stuff like that. Never got the ‘P’ word.”
“My kid, he does his recital, and the curtain opens, and he’s really excited about it — he’s gonna play a bug … and as soon as the curtain opens, he freezes and he cries, and he runs off stage.”
He said that the first thing he does is pick his son up and tell him, “’Man, I’m so proud of you. You were so brave to go out there like that.’”
“The Good Son” star said that he is also proud of himself for being able to parent and provide for his family in “the right kind of way.”
Macaulay Culkin called his dad a ‘monster’
Culkin has spoken about his rough childhood as his fame as a child star rose.
In Colin Hanks’ documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” Culkin said that his “Uncle Buck” co-star John Candy was the first person to notice his father, Christopher “Kit” Culkin, being a “monster.”
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 1991: Macauley Culkin for the American Comedy Awards in Hollywood with father Kit Culkin 1991 (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images) 
Macaulay Culkin attends the 2024 Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Oct. 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) 
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: (L-R) Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin attend the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
“I think he saw. Listen, even before the wave crested and the ‘Home Alone’ stuff was happening, it was not hard to see how difficult my father was. It was no secret. He was already a monster,” Culkin said in the documentary.
Culkin added that once he started making more money and became more famous thanks to the “Home Alone” films, his father became an “infamous monster.”
“He was already not a good guy. I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, ‘Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything’s alright? Everything good at home? Alright,’” he said.
Earlier this year, Culkin was on Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson’s “Sibling Revelry” podcast, and revealed he hasn’t spoken to his father, Kit Culkin, in decades and that his seven kids, including Academy Award winner Kieran Culkin, and his four grandchildren don’t want a relationship with him.
The actor shares two children with actress Brenda Song, best known for “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”