In the early 1970s Culkin was a struggling aspiring actor in California, and was at that time living out of a tent. In 1974 he decided to return to New York City, and while driving cross-country through Wyoming he met Patricia "Pat" Brentrup with whom he began a romantic relationship. Pat left her job in construction and came with him back to Manhattan where Kit continued unsuccessfully to make a career as an actor. He joined the staff of
St. Joseph Church as a sacristan. By the late 1980s Kit had eight children. The oldest, Jennifer Adamson, was with Adeena VanWagoner. His other children were with Patricia Brentrup: Shane, Dakota,
Macaulay,
Kieran, Quinn, Christian, and
Rory. Culkin and Brentrup were together for 21 years (from 1974 to 1995), but never married. Three of their sons — Macaulay, Rory, and Kieran — are professional actors whose careers he managed from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Macaulay became popular due to his starring roles in the
Home Alone films, and he was the first child in Hollywood to receive a million-dollar salary (for
My Girl in 1991). Kit Culkin had quit his job to manage Macaulay’s career. Jennifer Adamson died in 2000 from a drug overdose. On December 9, 2008, Dakota Culkin was struck by a vehicle when she stepped off a curb into its path. She was taken to the
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where she died of her injuries the following afternoon, at the age of 29. Culkin has been almost entirely estranged from his children since 1997. In a 2021 interview with
Hollywood Reporter Kieran Culkin stated Kit was not physically or emotionally abusive towards him, unlike Macaulay who claimed such abuse. Kieran nonetheless said Kit was "not a good person [and] probably not a good parent" and had erratic behavior and long absences from his family. Kieran added he had not seen or spoken to Kit since 2014 after Kit suffered a major stroke. ==Later life==