“Kieran Culkin Wins Best Supporting Actor—Sweeps the Oscars!”

Kieran Culkin took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 97th Academy Awards, completing a clean sweep after dominating the category all season.

His win for playing the chaotic yet lovable Benji in Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain marks his first Oscar nomination and victory. He beat out Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Yura Borisov (Anora), and fellow Succession alum Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice). With previous wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, SAG Awards, and more, Culkin was the clear favorite.

In A Real Pain, Culkin and Eisenberg play mismatched cousins on a Holocaust tour in Poland, blending comedy with deep reflections on Jewish identity and generational trauma. The film almost lost Culkin when Succession‘s final season ran long, but producer Emma Stone convinced him to stay—by pretending they could do it without him.

Culkin, who made his film debut at age 7 in Home Alone, has come a long way from playing Macaulay Culkin’s soda-slurping cousin. After years of underrated performances, his breakout as Roman Roy in Succession made him a household name. Now, with an Oscar in hand, his reign continues.