Macaulay Culkin Turned 40 And Is Here To Remind Us All That We're Old

Macaulay Culkin’s age is an aggressive reminder of our own mortality, and the internet is not okay

Kevin McCallister himself, aka Macaulay Culkin, is officially 40 years old. While anyone turning 40 is, of course, not exactly grounds for validating ageism, it’s… different when a child star grows up. The same laws just do not apply, because if Macaulay Culkin is 40, then many of us are rapidly approaching 40 or have surpassed it. Which is fine! But also… not fine?

Time, as they say, marches forward and so does Macaulay Culkin even though for many of us, he will forever remain John Candy’s adorable nephew in Uncle Buck, our beloved Kevin, and the tragic figure of Thomas J. in My Girl (it’s nice to have collective generational trauma, isn’t it? HE CAN’T SEE WITHOUT HIS GLASSES!).

But in reality, he’s 40. And he wants you to know about it.

Look, he’s not old. But come on, picturing the Olsen twins as the chainsmoking, billionaire fashion designers they really are and not the little “You got it, dude” cherubs they used to be is hard. Because when a youngster is catapulted into childhood stardom, it’s like time freezes on them forever — you know, like Walt Disney’s head (according to the urban legends you used to tell your friends to freak them out and look smart).

Anyhoo, the internet was predictably shook over this revelation.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/51298730491701534722

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1298762996634791936

And because he knows his audience:

A couple of Christmases ago, Culkin recreated the best scenes from Home Alone for a Google Assistant commercial and it was everything. Honestly. It hit all the right nostalgia spots to be smart, funny, and not overly saccharine or eye-rolly. Earlier this year, much to the surprised delight of franchise fans, it was announced that Culkin would join season 10 of FX’s American Horror Story.

In addition to his psuedo “comeback,” Culkin has always had a very entertaining and enjoyable social media presence. In February, he did a huge profile interview with Esquire on life as an adult and how reaching crazy heights of fame at such a young age didn’t leave him crashing and burning — he’s been able to plateau pretty nicely as a grown-up.

He knows how much people still love him from his youth, and he’s a really great sport about it. It’ll be awesome to see what 40-year-old Culkin can do.