All About Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song's 2 Kids
Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song are parents to two sons
Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song may have gained fame as child stars, but now they're parents to two children of their own.
The Home Alone actor and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody actress started dating in 2017 after meeting on the set of Changeland in Thailand. A year later, Macaulay spoke about his future with Brenda while appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
"This one's a good one, so I'm probably going to put some babies in her in a little bit," Macaulay said. "I mean, we've definitely been practicing."
The pair welcomed their first child, Dakota Song Culkin, on April 5, 2021. Less than two years later, Brenda gave birth to their second son, whose name has not been confirmed, Macaulay’s brother, Kieran Culkin, confirmed at the time.
Related: Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song's Relationship Timeline
While the parents are notoriously private when it comes to their children, both have spoken about their excitement at being parents and entering a new chapter of their relationship.
From their births to their relationship with their cousins, here’s everything to know about Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song’s children.
Dakota was named after Macaulay’s late sister
Macaulay and Brenda’s first child, Dakota, was born on April 5, 2021, in Los Angeles and weighed 6 lbs., 14 oz., PEOPLE confirmed.
“We’re overjoyed,” the couple said in a brief statement announcing the birth of their son.
The little boy was named after Macaulay’s late sister, Dakota Culkin, who died on Dec. 29, 2008, at age 29 after she was hit by a car while she was crossing the street.
They got engaged after welcoming Dakota
Nine months after welcoming their son, PEOPLE confirmed that Brenda and Macaulay were engaged after Brenda was spotted with a diamond ring on her left hand while out in Beverly Hills, California.
In September 2022, Brenda opened up to PEOPLE about her wedding planning process, sharing that it was difficult to balance with being a new mom.
"Wedding planning is so expensive and it takes up so much time," she told PEOPLE exclusively. "Being a new mom, we're so busy. It feels so convenient to be able to sit down and be able to get everything done all at once."
She launched her own wedding collection with Amazon Handmade at the time, and even had a custom gold bar bracelet made with Macaulay’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 added.
Kieran confirmed when their second son was born
Amid speculation that Brenda and Macaulay had welcomed their second child in December 2022, Macaulay’s brother, Kieran, confirmed his newest nephew’s arrival at the premiere for the final season of Succession.
"I haven't met No. 2 yet, and they haven't met No. 2 yet either," the actor told Access Hollywood, referring to his own kids with wife Jazz Charton. "We just haven't been able to figure that out."
Brenda said she and Macaulay are “hands-on” parents
In January 2022, Brenda opened up to The Cut about her and Macaulay’s parenting philosophy, and how they are very “hands-on” parents. The pair chose to forego a nanny despite their busy schedules, instead enlisting only the help of Brenda’s mom who stayed with them since Dakota was born.
“When I was working, my mom would bring him to set so I could breastfeed and see him during the day,” she told the outlet. “People tell you a lot about labor and pregnancy, but not about the fourth trimester. To my girlfriends that are pregnant I say, make sure you have help. Because your instinct is to want to do it all and you physically can’t.”
She added that she adjusted her entire routine when Dakota arrived, but still tried to make some time for herself to do things like exercise during his nap time.
“To be the best mom, I have to be the best me,” she said. “And exercise helps me not worry or overthink.”
It took a while for Macaulay to introduce their kids to their cousins
While Macaulay lives in L.A., his younger brother Kieran resides in N.Y.C., making family get-togethers difficult to arrange.
"The cousins live in Los Angeles and we live in New York,” Kieran told Access Hollywood in March 2023. “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."
It took Kieran some time to meet Dakota as well when he was first born, as the actor recalled at the Succession season 3 premiere in October 2021.
"I haven't actually met his son yet because he lives in California and there's been work and a pandemic and all that stuff," he told Access Hollywood.
Though Kieran, whose children are about the same age as Macaulay's, was “a little bit ahead on the dad thing,” he had no plans of giving any parenting tips to his older brother.
"The best advice that someone gave me when I became a new parent was don't take anyone's advice, you'll figure it out," he said.
Brenda put a lot of pressure on herself to quickly return to work after having Dakota
After welcoming Dakota, Brenda told The Cut that she felt the pressure to return to work soon after, but that it was “harder than I thought.”
She added that previously she always loved being the first on set, so when she returned, she found it difficult to even ask for 20 minutes to pump breastmilk.
“There were so many long days where I’d get home and my son would already be asleep,” she said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep pumping and breastfeeding him while I was working. I pumped throughout production.”
Brenda said she also struggled with “FOMO,” or the feeling of missing out, of being away from her son as he experienced his first milestones while she was on set.
“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,” she said. “Missing those hours with my newborn son, it pains me, but at the end of the day, Mama’s got to put food on the table. You’ve got to make those sacrifices. Hopefully he’ll understand.”
Both kids attended Macaulay's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023
When Macaulay received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2023, his fiancée and two kids all came out to support him.
Macaulay was photographed kissing the top of his younger son's head, while his older son was spotted sporting a mohawk.
"I'd like to thank Brenda. You're absolutely everything," the actor said in his acceptance speech. "You're the best person I've ever known,. And after the birth of our two boys, you've become one of my three favorite people."
Macaulay says Father's Day is "complicated" for him
In June 2024, Macaulay shared a photo of a box of Father's Day gifts he'd received from Lucasfilm on Instagram, admitting that he's "had a complicated relationship with Father’s Day in the past."
"But since becoming a papa myself I’ve decided to reinvent the wheel. Other than getting an hour or two of extra sleep I try to make the day a celebration of my boys more than me," he wrote in his caption. "After all, they are the ones who made me a father (no offense to Brenda)."
He went on to say that he spends the day doing "fun things" with his sons, adding that for him, Father's Day is "for the people that make me feel like a father."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.