Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song attend the ceremony honoring Macaulay Culkin with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California.Photo:Amy Sussman/Getty
Amy Sussman/Getty
Macaulay CulkinandBrenda Songboth grew up in the spotlight, and although they didn’t get together until much later in life, their shared child star experience makes their love story that much sweeter.
The couple met in 2014 while at mutual friendSeth Green’s house, but it wasn’t until they reunited in Thailand in 2017 on the set of Green’s movieChangelandthat they hit it off. Culkin later admitted toEsquirethat when he and Song first started dating, he “was waiting for the other shoe to drop,” though he came to realize, “No—sometimes it’s just good.”
Theywelcomed a son in 2021andgot engagedless than a year later.
“Macaulay and Brenda have loved being together as a family since welcoming Dakota,“a source told PEOPLE in January 2022. “The engagement is the natural next step for them. They are excited for their future together.”
While talking toAccess Hollywoodin March 2023,Kieran Culkinconfirmed that his brother and Song hadquietly welcomed their second child.
From supporting each other’s careers to becoming parents, here is a complete timeline of Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song’s relationship timeline.
In January 2025, the couple toldCosmopolitanthat they first met at mutual friend Green’s house, though Culkin admitted they didn’t get along at first when he cracked a joke about Green and Song’s show,Dads,getting canceled.
Brenda Song Instagram
Culkin and Song crossed paths again in Thailand on the set ofSeth Green’s directorial debut,Changeland.
The pair werespotted grabbing dinner in Los Angelesand enjoying some quality time together offscreen in July 2017. The outing marked their first public appearance since filming wrapped, and it sparked rumors that the two were more than just costars.
In the fall of 2017, the pair joined Green andhis wife, Clare Grant, for a double date at Knott’s Scary Farm. Culkin and Song were seen holding hands and going on various rides together. “Parkgoers said they were very cute with each other holding hands and very affectionate,” a source revealed toEntertainment Tonight. “Looked like they were having a great time.”
The insider added, “They all looked super comfortable together and like they were having a great night out.”
The couple took a romantic trip to Paris for Thanksgiving, where they were spotted enjoying a shopping spree. Culkin was photographed carrying lots of bags while Song cradled a giant teddy bear.
Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin.Backgrid
During their getaway to Paris, Culkin and Song were spotted out to dinnerwith the actor’s goddaughter, Paris Jackson, the daughter ofMichael Jackson.
Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song attend the sixth biennial Stand Up To Cancer telecast on September 7, 2018.Kevin Mazur/Getty
The former Disney Channel star made an appearance on her beau’s podcast a few months later. Culkinnoted on Instagramit was a “groovy episode all about ‘firsts.’ " Song also posted about the collaboration, and wrote alongsidea photoof her and Culkin sporting bunny ears, “Guys, I did a podcast with my favorite bunny- podcasters and just 2 of my favorite people @bunnyearspodcast aaaand the one and only @mattbennett ! Check it out and let me know what you think!”
While onThe Joe Rogan Experiencepodcast,Culkin opened up about wanting to start a family with Song. “This one’s a good one, so I’m probably going to put some babies in her in a little bit,” he joked. “I mean, we’ve definitely been practicing.”
He added that he and Song have a great life together. “I have a pretty little family — a pretty girl, a pretty dog, a pretty cat, and all that stuff. We’re gonna move,” he said. “We’re doing the house thing and all that kind of stuff.”
Two years after meeting on set, the costars attended the L.A. premiere of their movie,Changeland. Both Song and Culkin hit the red carpet at the ArcLight Hollywood, although they walked it separately and didn’t pose together.
In honor of the movie’s release, Songposted a pictureof her and Culkin along with the rest of the cast, calling them her “best friends.”
Song wished her “favorite human” a happy birthday witha sweet tribute on Instagram. Sharing a photo of balloons that spelled out “Happy B-Day Mack,“The Suite Life On Deckactress wrote, “Happy birthday to my most favorite human @culkamania . Thank you for all that you do. I love you the mostest.”
The couple shared the screen again in an episode of Song’s Hulu show,Dollface. Culkin had a brief cameo in the season one episode titled “History Buff” and played ‘Dan,’ the date ofShay Mitchell’s character.
Song also spoke toEsquirefor the story and revealed what she finds attractive about Culkin.“People don’t realize how incredibly kind and loyal and sweet and smart he is,” she said. “Truly what makes Mack so special is that he is so unapologetically Mack.”
She continued, “He knows who he is, and he’s 100 percent okay with that. And that to me is an incredibly sexy quality.”
Song celebrated Valentine’s Day with a silhouette picture of herself and Culkin sporting rabbit ears, a nod to Culkin’s podcast and website. “Hoppy Valentine’s day everyone!🐰❤️” she captioned the photo.
The new parents enjoyed a date night out at a L.A. Rams game. The couple posed fora picturewith the Rams' mascot, Rampage, and Song captioned it, “Very few things can get us out of the house and away from our son.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty
After more than four years of dating, a source told PEOPLE thatCulkin and Song were engagedin January 2022. Prior to the news, the actress had been seen sporting a diamond ring on her left hand while out in Beverly Hills, California.
“Macaulay and Brenda have loved being together as a family since welcoming Dakota,” a sourcetold PEOPLE. “The engagement is the natural next step for them. They are excited for their future together.”
In an interview forThe Cut,Song discussed motherhood and her and Culkin’s “hands-on” parenting style. She also opened up about the difficulties of being a working mother, and said that returning to work just 12 weeks after giving birth to film season two ofDollfacewas difficult.
“I had no idea what I was doing. I went back to work so early. It was harder than I thought,” Song said. “I pride myself on always being first on set. So to be like, ‘Hey, I need 20 minutes to pump,’ was difficult.”
She continued, “The hours away from my son took a toll on me. Learning my own boundaries while trying to take care of my son and my family — that was hard. But I had a great support system and knew my son was taken care of; I just had FOMO.”
She explained that Culkin’s support and having good communication with each other made it much easier. “I think when you and your partner have kids, especially the first few months, you don’t have the patience to be polite with each other,” she said. “Being communicative when you need help is so important. Instead of having set duties, we just feel each other out. I’ll be putting my son down and my partner is like, ‘Let me feed the animals and get dinner ready.’ "
The proud mom and dadcelebrated their son Dakota’s first birthdayat Sesame Place San Diego. Culkin and Song both posted about the day on their respective Instagrams, sharing a photo of themselves with Elmo and Elmo’s dog, Tango. “Just want to send out a BIG thank you to the amazing people over at Sesame Place in San Diego for hosting my son’s first birthday,” Culkin wrote in his caption. “They made a little boy’s dreams come true. And my son also had a great time.”
Song also thanked the staff for “making BOTH my boys' dreams come true and for hosting the most magical first birthday for our son!” She added, “We had so much fun!”
Songopened up to PEOPLEabout her upcoming nuptials, saying, “Wedding planning is so expensive and it takes up so much time.” She also pointed out that organizing the event as a parent is “really hard because it’s all about priorities.”
The actress, who launched her own wedding collection with Amazon Handmade, praised the online shop for allowing her to “stop at any time.”
“I don’t feel like I’m having to constantly make an appointment to talk to someone or run to the store,” Song said. “And it’s really hard to do that, not only for new moms out there but for working moms or working dads or those going to school.”
Song added that it’s been “so much fun” to personalize products for the online retailer, including a gold bar bracelet with Culkin’s name on it. “I have one that is similar that I can put my son’s name on it which is really special,” she said.
Culkin’s brother Kieran confirmed the couple’s happy news while chatting withAccess Hollywoodat the season 4 premiere ofSuccessionin New York City.
“[They] live in Los Angeles and we live in New York. I have a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, and as busy as I am, there’s just no getting on a plane and going, and same with them,” he said. “I haven’t met No. 2 yet. We just haven’t been able to figure that out.”
Speaking directly to Song during his acceptance speech, theHome Alonealum said: “You are absolutely everything.You’re my champion. You’re the only person happier for me today than I am. You’re not only the best woman I’ve ever know, you’re the best person I’ve ever known.”
Kayla Oaddams/Getty
During the couple’s January 2025 interview withCosmopolitan, Song said that she and Culkin had “talked about eloping” after getting engaged in 2022, but knew her mom would be upset to miss out.
“I was like, ‘If we eloped, my mom would have a heart attack that she wasn’t going to be there,’ ” Song said.
When it came to possibly upsetting his mother-in-law, Culkin said, “I wouldn’t even!”
source: people.com