Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin Had Beef but It's Apparently Squashed — Here's How It Started

So, apparently, actors Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong had some beef — that is, until the 2025 Oscars, which aired on March 3, when Kieran appeared to clear the air. It’s not unusual for actors to clash. After all, they’re people with different feelings and values. For whatever reason, there was something between Kieran and Jeremy that just didn’t click.

But it seems that all of that is behind them now.

During the Oscars, Kieran deviated from his usual script to give a shout-out to his former Succession co-star Jeremy, who was also nominated in the same category for Best Supporting Actor. Jeremy was nominated for his role in The Apprentice, while Kieran won the award for his role in A Real Pain.

It seems Kieran's shout-out was his way of squashing the beef between them, and naturally, it sparked curiosity among fans who are now wondering what the drama was all about. So, let’s dive into it.

The beef between Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin stems more from a professional level than a personal one. In December 2024, during Variety’s Actors on Actors segment with Colman Domingo, Kieran said, "I sort of object to when actors call themselves, like storytellers ... I don't really like it, I don't," before muttering "sorry Jeremy" under his breath.

Colman appeared surprised, cupping his hands over his eyes at the comment. Kieran then justified his stance by explaining, "I don’t think that I’m telling the story when I’m doing the scene with someone. Somebody else is telling the story."

It quickly became clear that Kieran was referring to his former Succession co-star Jeremy Strong. The two had previously sat next to each other during an actor's roundtable where Jeremy specifically referred to himself as a storyteller. "There’s a role for storytelling that is so essential," Jeremy had said, adding that one thing he won’t ever forget is "the responsibility that we have as storytellers."

Variety shared both clips back-to-back, making it obvious who Kieran was addressing. In January 2025, it seemed Jeremy responded to Kieran’s comment about storytellers, telling Deadline, "Lately, people have felt a need to take shots at me or say disparaging things, which I don’t really think there’s any need for."

When asked what kind of "potshots" had been taken at him, Jeremy responded, "The way I approach things, my process. I feel we’re storytellers. I think about those performances I just mentioned. Those are actors telling story through character, which to me is the highest bar."

It seems Kieran and Jeremy simply "butted heads" over their creative processes and how they interpret their work, each with their own approach. But thanks to Kieran's Oscars speech, it looks like the beef is officially squashed.

What leads folks to believe that Jeremy and Kieran’s beef is officially squashed is what Kieran said when he took the stage to accept his Best Supporting Actor award. "Jeremy, you’re amazing in The Apprentice," Kiernan said, before the next part was bleeped out: "I love your work, it’s f--king great."

Kieran then covered his mouth and added, "I’m not supposed to single anyone out. It’s favoritism. Anyway, but you were great."

Kieran’s move to compliment Jeremy and use up most of his speech time to shout him out felt like the perfect “We’re cool” gesture.