Former child star Macaulay Culkin was accidentally featured in the 72nd annual Golden Globes’ “In Memoriam” segment after a staffer fell prey to a popular Internet death hoax.
The mistake was only seen in the live broadcast. All reruns and online clips of the award ceremony do not feature this error. The memorial segment was jam packed due to an overwhelming amount of celebrity deaths this year, making Culkin’s cameo difficult to catch.
Apparently an assistant editor in charge of pulling footage for the segment was convinced the “Home Alone” actor actually died, since he was the victim of two Internet death hoaxes. The screen listed the actor dying at 34 years of age.
“At the time of the blunder, no one in the audience seemed to notice,” said Carla Jackson, a producer of the award ceremony. “This may be because the 'In Memoriam' plays towards the end of the show, and by that time most of the audience is wasted. We’ve been criticized before for leaving people out, but never for including someone that wasn’t actually dead.”
Culkin, has never won a Golden Globe but was nominated in 1991 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for his role of Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone.” He lost to actor Gérard Depardieu for his performance in “Green Card.”
"Macaulay is very much alive and available for casting or appearances,” said his agent Josh Steinsteen. “In fact, if you have any work for him, commercials, indies, even student films, feel free to call me directly at 310-555-6726.”
The actor hasn’t worked since 2010, when he voiced an array of characters in the cartoon “Robot Chicken.” Since then, his latest credit was in 2013 when he played himself in the short called “Macaulay Culkin Eating a Slice of Pizza.” According to his Instagram, he’s touring as the lead vocalist of his comedy rock band, The Pizza Underground.
“The Globes debacle marks the third death hoax my client has been a victim off. Too bad there’s no royalties for hoaxes! Luckily for the academy, Macaulay has a great sense of humor. Did I mention he’s available for work?” added Steinsteen.
Following his death hoax in November, Culkin posted a photo on Instagram of himself playing dead in the arms of his bandmate with the caption “Weekend at Bernies.” He has yet to comment on this hoax.
“My client always comments on his death hoaxes. Are we sure he’s not really dead this time? Someone should check,” Steinsteen said.
