EXCLUSIVE: Former Child Star Macaulay Culkin Praises Late Comic John Candy for 'Protecting' Him From His 'Monster Father' Who Was 'a Bad Man'
Macaulay Culkin praised late comic John Candy for protecting him from his abusive father during childhood.
Oct. 20 2025, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Former child star Macaulay Culkin revealed his Uncle Buck costar – the late comic John Candy – was a father figure who wanted to protect him from his real-life "monster" father, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 6-foot-2, nearly 300-pound Candy, who died of a heart attack at 43 in 1994, worked with 9-year-old Mac in 1989's Uncle Buck and sensed that the boy's dad, Kit Culkin, was a problem.
Praising Candy
Macaulay Culkin shared he remembers John Candy as a protective father figure during the filming of 'Uncle Buck.'
Macaulay, now 45, recalled: "I think he [Candy] always had that really great instinct.
"He [Kit] was already not a good guy. I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, 'Is everything all right over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything's all right? Everything good at home? All right.'
"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."
Mac would later describe his dad as "a bad man. He was abusive, physically and mentally – I can show you all my scars if I wanted to."
Finding Young Success, But Facing A Jealous Dad
Macaulay described his father as abusive and jealous of his early success in 'Home Alone.'
A year after Uncle Buck, 10-year-old Mac shot to superstardom as the kid who foils two burglars in the classic Home Alone.
He believed his fame triggered jealousy and resentment from his dad, who never achieved success as an actor, saying: "Everything he tried to do in life, I excelled at before I was 10 years old."
Candy Stepped Up In Many Ways
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Macaulay, now 45, said Candy's concern for him was rare and left a lasting impression.
But Mac fondly recalled Candy's "paternal" attitude toward him at the time, saying it's "a testament to the kind of man he was ... [he] was just looking out for [me].
"It doesn't happen that often. It actually happened less as time went on. I wish I got more of that in my life.
"It's important that I remember that. I remember John caring when not a lot of people did."
