To 'Home Alone' fans,
Macaulay Culkin is a name that requires no
introduction. And Michael Jackson needs no introduction
full stop.
In the early 1990s, it's hard to imagine anyone's showbiz careers bigger.
And funnily enough, the two megastars soon became fast friends
as a result. After Macaulay Culkin's overnight rise
to movie superstar status, the New York City native was considered
one of Hollywood's most successful child prodigies.
A cultural phenomenon that broke records
as the world's highest paid child actor ever. Culkin soon turned more heads,
becoming inseparable to music's biggest superstar, Michael Jackson.
The two were seen out together, taking over theme parks,
raiding toy stores, and appearing in music videos together.
Despite their 22 year age gap,
it was clear they had a bond like no other that was often misunderstood.
Throughout the years,
as allegations of Jackson's behavior have exploded into the mainstream,
people assumed that Michael Jackson might have also abused the child superstar.
But what really happened behind the gates of Neverland Ranch?
What was it really like to call Michael Jackson your best friend?
Here's the detail.
Before focusing primarily on acting,
Macaulay was in fact a classically trained ballet dancer.
Michael Jackson's and Macaulay
Culkin's paths first crossed in 1989 when Culkin was performing in a production
of 'The Nutcracker' at New York City's Lincoln Center.
Jackson attended the event with his then friend and former US
president Donald Trump, and went backstage to meet the show's cast and crew.
Quote, I remember he looked at me like, I know you from somewhere.
Oh, Uncle Buck,
yeah, you're funny. 'Uncle Buck'
being a John Hughes hit comedy starring
John Candy that Macaulay featured in that was released earlier that year.
Neither a fan of Jackson or enamored by celebrities in general,
the brief encounter didn't make much of an impression on Macaulay Culkin.
It wasn't until over a year later, when the child actor's next movie was
released, would Michael Jackson reach out again.
'Home Alone' was another John Hughes written
and produced comedy in which the main character of Kevin was written
with Macaulay Culkin specifically in mind. About an eight year old boy who is
mistakenly forgotten after his family leaves to go on vacation.
He's left behind to protect the family
home, and himself, from a pair of downtrodden burglars breaking
into the neighborhood's vacant homes during the holidays.
Released in 1990 for the Christmas period,
'Home Alone' was the nation's number one film for twelve consecutive weeks.
Eventually becoming the top grossing film of the year in the US,
and the highest grossing live action comedy ever.
'Home Alone' was undeniably a monster blockbuster hit and its lead actor,
Macaulay Culkin overnight became the most sought after child star of a generation.
Seeing this develop, Michael Jackson had his people contact
Culkin and invited him to come to stay at his Neverland Ranch.
Quote, he reached out to me because a lot of things were happening big and fast
with me, and I think he identified with that, Culkin said.
There's no child actor self-help group at that point.
I was pretty famous and I met plenty of famous people.
His fame did not mean a thing.
While the pop icon related to him finding such success at a young age,
he also appreciated Culkin's ability to treat him like a normal person.
Quote, I really didn't give a s**t about famous people.
I was thoroughly unimpressed by them, he recalled.
Quote, so when I first met him, I was like, oh, cool, you're that guy who sings songs.
I sing songs in school. That's great.
So anyway. When Macaulay Culkin first stayed
at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, they hit it off
immediately. Escaping from the pressures of their showbiz lives into the fantasy
world of childhood Jackson created for himself and his chosen guests.
Quote, he's cool,
he's a lot like me, culkin said at the time.
Quote, we go to the video arcade,
we like animals, carnivals, quad, bikes.
We like goofing off.
At Neverland, Macaulay spent time with Michael enjoying
the amusement park rides, water balloon fights,
watched the latest movies in Jackson's private theater, ate unlimited amounts
of candy and had Jackson's personal chef rustle up whatever his heart desired.
There was no schedule, bedtime or other plans.
And in contrast to his regular working
life, Macaulay could be as spontaneous and free as he liked.
The two global superstars were soon
inseparable, spending hours on the phone, vacationing in Bermuda together
and attracting hordes of fans and photographers while enjoying days out
in Disney and Universal theme parks in Orlando, Florida.
Michael Jackson was soon asking the artist
behind his next album cover to incorporate his new friend within its artwork,
as well as devised a new role for Macaulay in his next music video, 'Black Or White'.
Originally wanting
Chris Columbus, Home Alone's director, to work on the epic music video,
Michael Jackson cast Culkin as a rambunctious kid playing his music too
loud, to the dismay of his father, played by George Wendt.
Later in the video, the child star is seen lip syncing a rap verse with Michael
and a bunch of other young kids in true hip hop fashion.
During its six week shoot,
the two showbiz pals occupied their downtime playing basketball together
and performing pranks on the productions crew.
Although their carefree antics were framed as just harmless fun,
the video's eventual director, John Landis, soon grew tired of Michael's
immature carelessness during the filming of 'Black Or White'.
And I said, Mike, if we do this, you have to show up.
If you're late, I'll go home, I'll show up.
And we had a day that was probably $180,000 day.
We had Luma Crane and 70 Dancers.
It was a big deal, right?
And Mike and Macaulay Culkin they didn't show up.
It's like well, where's Michael?
And when we finally found him,
he and Mac had gone to a Toys R US and spent like $60,000.
First of all, the idea of spending $60,000
in the Toys R US is like, how do you do that?
But I said, Mike, you can't do that ever again.
Why? Because it insults everybody.
When asked of what him and Michael Jackson like to do together,
Culkin said that their favorite activity was, in fact, shopping.
Quote, we always go to Toys R US.
We each get a shopping cart and go up and down the aisles picking out what we want.
Who pays?
He does!
Culkin said mischievously.
Macaulay Culkin would later sneak Michael Jackson onto the set
of 'Home Alone 2' to the amazement of the film's cast and crew.
Rumors also circulated that Culkin was
going to join the popstar on his 1992 Dangerous World tour at $50,000 a show.
It was reported that the 'Home Alone' star
had been taking dancing lessons to prepare for the concert.
However, this idea ultimately never materialized.
When asked if he found it odd that Jackson
liked to play with kids and buy toys at age 33, Culkin shaked his head.
Quote, no, he's cool. Adding that he would sometimes even wear
a surgical mask to school in homage to Jackson's favorite disguise.
Apart from the fun they had together, the two superstars also found out
that they had much in common other than their careers in the limelight.
Macaulay also came from a large family,
and before his own success, they were living in relative poverty,
with his family of nine living in a one bedroom apartment in New York City.
Both were raised by ruthless fathers/managers
pushing them in their careers towards fame at a young age,
and therefore both became financially responsible for their entire families.
With that amount of adult pressure placed on them as a child,
a certain carefree innocence is lost forever as they are forced to grow up
and are weighed down by immense responsibility.
Quote, people wonder why I always have children around.
It's because I find the thing that I never had through them.
Disneyland, amusement parks, arcade games,
I adore all that stuff because when I was little, it was always work, work, work.
Jackson said in response to criticisms of his childlike lifestyle.
Despite their 22 year age gap, Culkin could relate to superstar
Michael Jackson much more than anyone else his own age.
Quote, I was a peerless person.
Nobody at my Catholic school even had this
much idea of what I was going through, and he was the person who had been through
the exact same thing and wanted to make sure I wasn't alone, Culkin said.
Knowing the loneliness that came with child superstardom,
how money will forever change dynamics within the family,
and the impending influx of vultures with their own selfish intentions.
Michael Jackson felt the need to protect McCauley culkin in a manner he wished
someone was there for him during those years growing up in the spotlight.
Not only to help guide him through such unique challenges, but to also remind him
that at the end of the day, you are just a kid and you should embrace that
also. Quote, we were friends.
We were actually best friends for a stretch of time while I was growing up.
Culkin reminisced. Macaulay Culkin credited
Jackson in part for helping him through difficult times with his family
and in particular his domineering father who had become relentless chasing new
career highs and increasing studio payouts for his movie star son. Kit Culkin,
Macaulay's father also held the reins
when it came to how his son would respond to Jackson's latest controversy.
In August 1993,
it was announced that Los Angeles police were investigating a set of child abuse
allegations made against Michael Jackson in the coming weeks and months.
The salacious case was endlessly reported
and picked upon by the world's media, with both sides leaking evidence
and witness accounts to help steer the public's mind in their favor.
In Jackson's camp,
Brett Barnes and Wade Robson were interviewed defending Jackson and their
friendship, in hopes of counteracting the character assassination taking place
daily within the pages of the tabloid press.
Police interviewed McCauley Culkins soon
after the allegations were first made and the now 13 year old child star wanted
to make a public statement defending his personal friend.
However, his father, Kit, flatly refused for such statement to be made public
in fear that the impending scandal would damage Macaulay's family friendly image
and jeopardize several multimillion dollar movie deals already on the table.
Instead, the child actor reps maintained
a stony wall of silence, despite the positives it would have brought
to Michael Jackson's ailing public image to have his most famous child friend stand
in his corner during this, his darkest of hours.
During the mid 1990s, Macaulay Culkin's career took a sudden
and dramatic turn. After Kit Culkin's attempt of giving his son's career
legitimacy with a dramatic role in 'The Good Son' backfired.
The father/manager then secured two major
multimillion dollar movie roles for Macaulay. Record breaking
at the time,
the first role was in a comedy film alongside Ted Danson called
'Getting Even With dad', and the other being the lead in Warner Bros.
comic book adaptation of Richie Rich.
Both films were panned by critics and flopped at the box office.
Macaulay was specifically targeted with criticism and was nominated
for Worst Actor Razzies for his last three film performances.
The cute, wisecracking kid audiences initially fell in love with had grown
into an awkward teenager who had lost his passion for acting.
It was at this point Macaulay suddenly disappeared from the public eye as his
parents formally separated and the former child star fought with his father
for control over his life, and now vast fortune. Behind the scenes,
Michael Jackson supported Macaulay through these turbulent years and undoubtedly used
his own business sense to help protect Culkin's money and set himself up
for a future where he wouldn't need to work ever again.
Michael Jackson even honored their enduring friendship by asking
Macaulay Culkin, as well as Elizabeth Taylor, to be a godparent for his
first born son, Prince, as well as his daughter, Paris.
We are very best friends in the world, Culkin said in an interview at the time.
Quote we're both going to be eight years old forever in some place because we never
had a chance to be eight when we actually were.
Neverland is still the only place on earth where I feel absolutely 100% comfortable.
When his friend yet again was embroiled in a whole new set of allegations after
the release of the 2003 Martin Bashir documentary 'Living with Michael Jackson'.
Culkin was now an adult and able to openly
defend Michael Jackson in public and on television,
but was reluctant to testify in court. Stating in a Larry King interview that he
really didn't want to get involved with the media circus surrounding the case
and that he wouldn't want Michael to have to do that if it was the other way around.
However, the former child star ultimately did testify for Michael Jackson's defense
as a character witness during the 2005 trial.
In a brief and direct questioning,
the then 24 year old was resolute saying 'no' and 'absolutely not' as he was asked
repeatedly whether the singer had ever molested him.
When cross examined by prosecutor, Ron Zonen, about a Rolex watch Jackson gave
him when he was eleven, Culkin said, quote, I wasn't a person of limited means.
It wasn't all that awe inspiring. Quizzed about where he slept at Neverland.
Culkin insisted he tended to, quote,
flop down wherever he was. In the video arcade, the theater or Jackson's bedroom
and insisted he always fell asleep fully clothed.
While at the Santa Barbara courthouse,
the two longtime friends bumped into each other in the men's bathroom.
We better not talk, Jackson said,
according to Culkin, quote I don't want to influence your testimony.
They both quietly chuckled through
the tense circumstances and embraced before returning to court.
This would be the very last time
Macaulay Culkin would see Michael Jackson before he passed away in 2009.
Macaulay Culkin later reflected,
quote, Michael is one of the most important people in my life.
He was my best friend.
We were strongly connected because he knew what I was going through.
It's one of my friendships that people
question only because of the fact that he was the most famous person in the world.
I know it's a big deal to everyone else, but to me it was a normal friendship.
However, despite Macaulay Culkin's
continued statements that Michael and him just had a typical friendship,
he would yet again find himself entangled in more Jackson child abuse speculation
upon the release of 'Leaving Neverland' in 2019.
In the two part documentary film, Wade Robson,
who also appeared in Jackson's 'Black Or White' music video,
brings up Macaulay Culkin when discussing his own relationship with the singer.
Quote, Macaulay was where I was in my previous trips,
right by Michael's side every moment, Robson said in 'Leaving
Neverland.
Quote, now I was kind of on the sideline as far as being Michael's friend and being
his favorite, and that was really confusing.
The suggestion being that having replaced Wade, it was very likely Macaulay was
abused in the same manner Wade claims he was.
However, in its attempt to expose Michael Jackson's alleged previously
hidden crimes against children, did the film's director, Dan Reed,
ever consider interviewing Macaulay Culkin as part of the project?
Quote, I gave it some serious thought.
In the end, I knew that McCauley had made
statements consistently rebutting allegations that were made.
I'm not in the business of outing anyone.
I don't want to push Macaulay to admit anything he doesn't want to admit or
confront anything he doesn't want to confront right now.
Despite being explicitly mentioned and not
given the opportunity to be interviewed for the film, the former child star has
since stated, quote he never did anything to me.
I never saw him do anything.
And especially at this flash point
in time, I'd have no reason to hold anything back.
The guy has passed on.
If I had something to speak about, I would totally do it.
But no, I never saw anything.
He never did anything.
Reaffirming that as a now retired actor,
outside of the whole Hollywood scene and with plenty of his own money,
there would be no reason at all for him to mislead or be dishonest when it came
to the nature of his relationship with the legendary pop icon.
However, despite Macaulay Culkin's desire to shake off his association with the king
of pop and the controversies that continue to surround him, one thing he is grateful
for is the enduring connection he has with his goddaughter, Paris.
Quote, I am close with Paris.
I'm going to warn you now.
I am very protective of her, so just look out.
I mean that in the fact that I love her so much.
She's tall and beautiful and smart.
It's great.
The two even lived together in New York
on and off for four years, sharing with her his habit of stealing
spoons from restaurants, bars and cafes as a bit of harmless fun.
Paris and Macaulay even gave one another
spoons as gifts and have matching spoon tattoos on their forearms.
When Paris entered public life,
Culkin had just one piece of advice given by virtue of the spoons.
Quote, don't forget to be silly.
Don't forget to take something away
from this whole experience, and don't forget to stick something up your sleeve.
As for Culkin himself, the star is content with how his life has turned out so far.
Quote, I'm a retired person walking around with a baguette under my arm.
I'm living a good life.
The former child star said. Look, I mean, it could have been worse, you know?
I mean, look at me.
I've got money, I've got fame,
I've got a beautiful girlfriend and a beautiful house and beautiful animals.
Honestly, Mac, it's not so bad.
Thanks for watching the detail.
If you enjoyed this video, then check out our other videos
chronicling the friendships, relationships and rivalries of Michael Jackson.
We'll see you next time.