⁠“He’s literally a toy soldier from Toy Story”: Fans defend Macaulay Culkin against backlash over Halloween costume

Macaulay Culkin has become involved in a Halloween costume controversy after posting a photo of himself dressed as a soldier, prompting some social media users to question the look's appropriateness. While some users criticized the costume, others defended Culkin, arguing that he was just imitating a well-known character rather than intending to convey something offensive. A user wrote:

“He’s literally a toy soldier from Toy Story.”

The actor uploaded a Halloween selfie wearing military-style gear and dark-green camouflage face paint, with the caption:

"War. War never changes. Happy Halloween, y'all."

Macaulay Culkin's Halloween costume sparks backlash

Macaulay Culkin's Halloween costume was mistaken by many. His costume appeared to reference the "thousand-yard stare," a term usually associated with soldiers' distant, exhausted expressions after experiencing the horrors of war.

The look is inspired by American artist Tom Lea's 1944 picture That Two Thousand Yard Stare. The artwork depicts a US Marine during the Battle of Peleliu and has since become a well-recognized symbol of psychological weariness and emotional detachment.

The expression has also become a popular internet meme, frequently used to represent excessive exhaustion, stress, or mental disengagement.

Even X's AI-powered community note failed to recognize the Halloween costume; it explained the image:

“The image shows Macaulay Culkin with green face paint recreating the two thousand-yard stare meme from a 1944 Tom Lea painting of a grimy WWII US Marine, not blackface.”

However, not everyone recognized the reference. Some social media users mistook Culkin's face paint for blackface, while others questioned the appropriateness of dressing up in a war-related image for Halloween in the midst of ongoing wars.

Macaulay Culkin has not publicly responded to the criticism.

Fans defend Macaulay Culkin against backlash over Halloween costume

As the photo circulated online, viewers noticed that Macaulay Culkin appeared to be recreating the viral soldier meme. Others pointed out that the paint was olive-green camouflage rather than black, suggesting the lighting may have caused the misconception.

An AI-generated community note shared on X also said the actor wore green camouflage face paint and referenced a well-known meme, rather than blackface.

The explanation caused fans to respond to the criticism, with some suggesting that the costume was being misinterpreted. A user took to X to clear it all out:

"He’s literally a toy soldier from Toy Story."

Another user expressed frustration with the reactions circulating online and wrote:

"I know! I can’t stand Twitter; sometimes people either just be hating or posting fake stuff for clicks."

A third user questioned why Culkin was receiving criticism when the costume clearly featured green camouflage paint:

"Why is Macaulay Culkin getting so much hate on his costume? It’s literally not blackface. The other pictures, as you can see, it’s visibly green."

Others were equally baffled by the misunderstanding, with one commenting:

"He's a toy soldier lol. Are people dumb?"

While most of the discussion centred on defending the costume, some users noticed a rather unexpected detail in Macaulay Culkin's costume. One user joked:

"His foot being backwards is killin me."

Another user pointed out that the costume was recognisable as a Toy Story toy soldier, arguing that the makeup was particularly accurate:

"He’s dressed as a Toy Story toy soldier, which shows how accurately his face makeup was done because if you look at those toy characters in the movie, they have a lot of shadowing to help show their expressions and facials that weren’t all identical-looking; another reason Toy Story is so epic is that it always had diversity."

A user uploaded a GIF of the toy soldiers from Toy Story and asked:

"Let me guess, kids don't play with these anymore?"

Another user reiterated the central point behind the defence:

"I don’t understand why people thought he was doing blackface dressed as a damn Toy Story soldier."

Martha Stewart also faces backlash over her Halloween costume

Macaulay Culkin is not the only celebrity facing Halloween costume backlash this year. Martha Stewart also faced criticism for posting a photo of herself dressed as a homeless person, with torn clothing and dirt on her face and holding a cardboard sign that read:

"I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!"

After deleting the photo, Stewart told PEOPLE that the outfit was meant to raise awareness about homelessness and that she was sorry if it had offended anyone:

“I've spent decades teaching others how to celebrate Halloween — sharing fun, festive recipes, providing unique craft ideas and giving tips on entertaining and hosting to make the most of one of my favorite holidays of the year. I am distressed that my Halloween costume yesterday, which was intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness, has offended people, which was never my intention.”

She continued:

“Homelessness continues to remain one of America’s greatest challenges and ongoing crises, something that I care deeply about and I have spent a significant amount of time and effort supporting charities that combat this ongoing social epidemic.”

She then confessed on Instagram that her initial response was not enough, noting that the costume was inappropriate and not funny. Stewart apologised and acknowledged the economic struggles many people face, saying:

“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough. I know many people are suffering economically. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I am sorry.”

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