Fans might have forgotten that Mila Kunis ever dated Macaulay Culkin, but there were rumors she dumped the former child star for Russell Brand.
Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin dated for nearly ten years, keeping their relationship incredibly private and enjoying a low-key lifestyle together.
Kunis has taken responsibility for the breakup with Culkin, describing it as a horrible experience and admitting that she made mistakes.
Despite rumors that Russell Brand may have played a role in their split, there is no evidence to suggest that he was the cause, and Kunis and Culkin have remained close friends since their breakup.
Long before Mila Kunis started a family with her husband Ashton Kutcher, the Black Swan actress had been linked to several men (and had her first kiss on-screen). Among them was former child star Macaulay Culkin, whom Kunis dated during her earlier years in Hollywood.
And while there have been rumors that the actress eventually broke things off with Culkin to be with Kutcher, some also claim that it may have been a fling with now-disgraced actor Russell Brand that ended that relationship.
Mila Kunis Dated Macaulay Culkin For Nearly Ten Years
Kunis and Culkin started dating in 2002 while Kunis was already voicing the character of Meg Griffin for Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy. By then, Culkin had already become a massive celebrity from his time in the Home Alone franchise. The couple tried to stay under the radar as much as they could.
While speaking with Parade in 2007, Kunis spilled some details on their “incredibly private” relationship, which allows them to “relish the privacy we do actually have and are able to sustain it.” Instead of stepping out, the couple would opt to stay home and play video games while Culkin did the cooking.
As Kunis and Culkin remained together, fans kept speculating that the couple was already engaged, which both stars have denied.
Nonetheless, the rumors did not stop there with reports claiming that the couple had tied the knot and that they already had a child. The ridiculousness of their situation is not lost on Kunis who remarked, “I’m waiting to have something else happen.”
Mila Has Said Her Breakup With Macaulay Was Her Fault
Mila Kunis on the red carpetvia Instar
Now, fans may have thought that Kunis and Culkin would remain together forever, but the two celebrities eventually broke things off in 2011. By the time their split was confirmed, a source suggested the stars had gone their separate ways for some time already, although they kept their break-up private as Kunis promoted The Black Swan.
And while some may have speculated that Kunis’ Oscar-winning movie had anything to do with the breakup, the source at that time said that the split had been “amicable” and that Kunis and Culkin have since remained “close friends.”
Since then, neither Kunis nor Culkin would offer any further comment on their (former) relationship. Years later, however, Kunis opened up some more about that period in her life, blaming herself for their breakup.
While speaking on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast 2018, Kunis reflected on her split with Culkin, describing it as a “horrible, horrible breakup.” The actress also went on to indicate that she was to blame while candidly stating, “I f***** up.” Kunis later added, “I was a d***, and I accept it and I own it now.”
That said, the actress never explained in detail what really happened toward the end of her relationship with the former child actor. Some were under the impression that Brand may have had something to do with their breakup.
Kunis and Brand met while working on the romantic dramedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which also stars Kristin Bell, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, and Jason Segel. The film tells the story of a man named Peter (Segel) who goes on a Hawaiian vacation to forget about his ex Sarah (Bell), only to discover that he’s staying in the same resort.
In the movie, Kunis plays Peter’s new love interest while Brand plays Aldous Snow, a rockstar who also happens to be Sarah’s other ex.
And while Brand is linked to Bell’s character onscreen, the actor was more interested in getting to know Kunis behind the scenes. However, the actor soon learned that Kunis didn’t feel the same way.
“I was chatting her up, and got the conversation around to, ‘Have you got a boyfriend?’ and she went, ‘Yeah,’” Brand recalled.
At that time, Brand also knew that Kunis was referring to Culkin. The two men came face to fame when Culkin appeared on set, and Russell wasn’t very kind. “He’d got longer. Like a veal calf, like he’d been grown in a crate. All pale and scared of himself, like a shaved horse,” Brand recalled upon seeing him.
Since working on Forgetting Sarah Marshall and doing press for the film, it is unclear if Kunis and Brand have ever crossed paths again. While Kunis later hinted that she was at fault for her eventual breakup with Culkin, the actress never indicated that Brand was the cause of the split. The former co-stars were also never pictured together since working on their movie.
It also seems that Kunis and Culkin never tried to reconcile following their breakup. While Kunis eventually reunited with That ‘70s Show co-star Kutcher, Culkin went on to start a family with fellow former co-star Brenda Song.
Culkin and Song welcomed their second child, a son, in 2022. As for Kunis, she shares two children with Kutcher. And just like in her previous relationship, Kunis has continued to work to keep her private life out of the spotlight.