Watch Kieran Culkin shout out 'Succession' co-star Jeremy Strong in his Oscar speech

It's a Roy-union at the Oscars!
 By 
Belen Edwards
 on 
Kieran Culkin accepts his Oscar.

Kieran Culkin took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards for his role as Benji Kaplan in Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain.

In A Real Pain, Culkin and Eisenberg play an odd-couple cousin pairing on a trip around their grandmother's native Poland. As the pair navigate their own fraught relationship, they also connect with their family's history and what their grandmother experienced during the Holocaust.

Culkin's Oscar win for A Real Pain marks the end of a dominant awards season run, during which he also took home the BAFTA, the Critics Choice Award, the Golden Globe, and the SAG Award. He beat out fellow nominees Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), and his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice).


You May Also Like

Culkin opened his Oscar speech by singling out Strong's performance, saying, "By the way, Jeremy, you were amazing in The Apprentice."

After some censored swearing, Culkin added, "I'm not supposed to single anyone out; that's favoritism... but you were great."

But Strong wasn't the only person Culkin shouted out in his speech. In addition to thanking A Real Pain writer and director Jesse Eisenberg, he also told a story about his wife Jazz Charton. During his acceptance speech for Lead Actor in a Drama at the 2024 Emmys, he revealed that Charton had said they would have a third child if Culkin won the Emmy.

"Turns out, she said that because she didn't think I was going to win," he joked.

But that Emmys request wasn't the end of the saga. Culkin revealed that after the Emmys, he told Charton he really wanted four kids. Her response? "'I will give you four when you win an Oscar,'" Culkin recalled.

He concluded: "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?"

Topics Film Oscars

A woman in a white sweater with shoulder-length brown hair.
Belen Edwards
Entertainment Reporter

Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

Watch Jessie Buckley's moving Oscars acceptance speech
Jessie Buckley accepts the Oscar for Best Actress for "Hamnet."

Rhea Seehorn's Golden Globes speech is delightfully candid
Rhea Seehorn at the Golden Globes.

Timothée Chalamet squeezes a great joke into his Golden Globes acceptance speech
A man stands on a stage holding an award, while two women stand off to one side. The caption at the bottom reads, "You're laughing, so I got away with that..."


More in Entertainment
How to watch Chelsea vs. Port Vale online for free
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea reacts

How to watch 'Wuthering Heights' at home: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's controversial romance now streaming
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi embracing in still from "Wuthering Heights"

How to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers online for free
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders warms up

How to watch Mexico vs. Belgium online for free
Israel Reyes of Mexico reacts

How to watch Brazil vs. Croatia online for free
Vinicius Junior #10 of Brazil leaves

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!