Brenda Song Shares Why She's Keeping Her Kids Out Of The Hollywood Limelight

Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin were Hollywood superstars when they were kids, but they’ve made a different choice for their own children.

In a Tuesday interview with Bustle, the actor explained that she and fiancé Culkin have elected to live a moderately quiet life. The couple have two children together, Dakota, and Carson.

But when Culkin received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year, Song said, the couple decided to bring their kids along with them to celebrate.

Macaulay Culkin, his partner Brenda Song and their children stand near his newly unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame Star on December 1, 2023 in Hollywood.
Macaulay Culkin, his partner Brenda Song and their children stand near his newly unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame Star on December 1, 2023 in Hollywood. FREDERIC J. BROWN via Getty Images

“That was such a special moment. We couldn’t have them miss that,” Song told the magazine. But this special moment also involved something her kids weren’t used to: celebrity photographers.

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“Dak was so scared of all the cameras. That’s one of the reasons why we sort of keep them away [from the spotlight],” said the Disney Channel alum, per Bustle. “They did not understand what was happening.”

Quinn Culkin, Seth Green, Rory Culkin, Macaulay Culkin, Brenda Song and Paris Jackson attend the ceremony honoring Macaulay Culkin with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 01, 2023.
Quinn Culkin, Seth Green, Rory Culkin, Macaulay Culkin, Brenda Song and Paris Jackson attend the ceremony honoring Macaulay Culkin with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 01, 2023. Amy Sussman via Getty Images

Song recounted a similar incident during soccer practice.

“My son was like, ‘Why is that man taking pictures of you, mama?’” Song said. “You could take pictures of me all day. I don’t care. But when it’s your kids, it’s different. They didn’t ask for this life.”

Song went on to say that for her, “family life is the most important thing.”

“I’ve always said to be the best parent, the best partner, I have to be the best me. And a huge part of that is work. I have to be able to honor that,” she said.

Song and Culkin met on the set of their 2017 film “Changeland.” During a 2021 interview after Dakota’s birth with Esquire, Song said spoke her partner’s praises and said that “people don’t realize how incredibly kind and loyal and sweet and smart he is.”

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“Truly what makes Mack so special is that he is so unapologetically Mack,” Song said. “He knows who he is, and he’s 100% OK with that. And that to me is an incredibly sexy quality. He’s worked really hard to be the person he is.”

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