The ongoing awards season has been huge for Succession star Kieran Culkin, who finally landed a pair of major wins for his work as the foul-mouthed and foul-minded Roman Roy. He first took home the Golden Globe, and then celebrated an Emmy win just a week later. Even his speeches went viral, as his hilarious pot shot at Pedro Pascal was later followed up by a far more personal bit: asking his wife to have another kid. The wildly authentic moment was a hit with viewers, but Culkin reportedly voiced regrets about how he handled it.
As those who watched the most enjoyable Emmys telecast in years will probably remember, while Culkin was on stage accepting his Outstanding Lead Actor trophy, he expressed love for his wife and two children (Kinsey Sioux and Wilder Wolf). Followed by the admission that she’d previously agreed lightheartedly to consider having a third child if he came out the winner: “You said maybe — if I win.” CinemaBlend reported on the actor’s post-ceremony explanation for his comments, which seemed all in good fun, but allegedly expressed some regret in hindsight.
According to OK Magazine’s sources, the Igby Goes Down actor came around to thinking that a live TV ceremony may not have been the most ideal surroundings for such a life-changing topic.
Kieran kind of regrets saying that out loud. It just flew out of his mouth. But it got Jazz’s attention.
Thankfully, any rueful or remorseful feelings Kieran Culkin may harbor over his speech request don’t seem to have been sparked by any negative reactions on the homefront. On the contrary, the outlet reports that the couple are indeed planning to go forward with the decision to try for a third child, saying:
They’re very happy and they’re going to start trying soon. Kieran loves fatherhood. Awards are nice too, but kids are the best.
Awards can’t grab a glass of water or a remote control for tied parents the way that kids can, either, so that’s a bonus. Although awards don’t yank people out of deep sleep with glass-shattering squeals at 3 a.m., so there’s always a balance.
Roman Roy said it best himself: “We just made a night of good TV.” And Culkin has delivered on that as well with each of his award speeches, which also includes the one he gave after winning Actor in a Drama Series at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards. To be fair, Pedro Pascal did get him back at the Emmys prior to the child-rearing request, with the Last of Us star facetiously explained his slinged-up arm by saying Culkin “beat the shit out of ” him. But I think we can all agree that the Succession fave is a lover, not a fighter.
Though the Roy family may be long gone from our TV screens, Kieran Culkin will soon be back in a new role, Benji Kaplan, for the upcoming dramedy A Real Pain, in which he’ll co-star with writer/helmer Jesse Einsenberg for the Social Network vet’s directorial debut.
Meanwhile, all of Culkin’s stellar performances as Roman Roy can be restreamed in full with a Max subscription.