Oscar Winner Kieran Culkin Says Real Reward Is More Babies

In a surprising but welcome change from the propaganda that usually dominates celebrity awards shows, the 97th Academy Award winner for best supporting actor Kieran Culkin used his Oscars acceptance speech to broadcast his desire to grow his family with his wife.

The child star began the address celebrating his performance in A Real Pain with all the normal acknowledgements. Toward the end of his breathless thankfulness, he snuck in an anecdote about a handshake deal he made with his wife and the mother of his two children, Jazz Charton, to expand their family if he won an Emmy.

“About a year ago I was on a stage like this, and I very stupidly publicly said that I want a third kid from her, because she said if I won the award, she would give me the kid,” Culkin said, as the camera panned to a chuckling Charton. “Turns out she said that because she didn’t think I was going to win.”

Culkin said it wasn’t until after the January 2024 TV awards show ended that Charton realized, “I guess I owe you a third kid.”

“I turned to her and I said, ‘Really, I want four.’ And she turned to me, I swear to God this happened … she said, ‘I will give you four when you win an Oscar,’” Culkin continued. “I held my hand out, she shook it, and I have not brought it up once until just now. You remember that honey? You do?”

The camera captured Charton once again laughing as she nodded her head. With the visual stamp of approval to continue, Culkin concluded his speech with a call to action.

“Then, I just have this to say to you, Jazz. Love of my life, ye of little faith. No pressure. I love you. I’m really sorry I did this again. And let’s get cracking on those kids, what do you say? I love you!”

Culkin’s pro-natalist message likely came as a bit of a shock to a room filled with Hollywood people known for broken relationships, shouting their abortions, and outsourcing reproduction or giving up on kids altogether.

A 2024 Pew survey found that 59 percent of President Donald Trump voters think society would be “better off if people make marriage and having children a priority,” but only 19 percent of then-President Joe Biden voters, many of whom are found in the star-studded world, felt the same.

Yet, Culkin’s not wrong.

Despite the increasingly anti-child and family narratives that dominate blockbuster screens and American culture, there’s no denying that getting hitched and raising children with your spouse is one of the most fulfilling things a person can do.

On average, married couples with children tend to be happier than their peers. One 2022 survey found that wedded men and women with kids “are the most likely to report being ‘very happy’ with their lives.” Married men like Culkin, specifically, “are about twice as likely to be very happy, compared to their unmarried peers.”

The nation’s lagging replacement rate suggests we need more babies. More than ever, though, we need more loving marriages and stable families to welcome those babies.

Data has shown that the offspring of larger families tend to create large families themselves. If Culkin, one of seven children, continues on his winning streak, he will not only become a testament to that — he will also be a proud participant in the movement to ensure a strong, flourishing society.