More than three decades after its initial theatrical run, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York remains a holiday fixture for millions of families worldwide, though a brief cameo by Donald Trump in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel continues to draw debate.
Macaulay Culkin, who starred as Kevin McCallister in the 1992 film directed by Chris Columbus, has previously signaled support for digitally removing the sequence. In January 2021, when online commentators suggested excising Trump’s appearance and replacing him with a digital version of Culkin at age 40, the actor responded simply with “Sold.”
Monde de Stars reported that Culkin also reacted with enthusiasm to a fan edit that completely erased Trump from the scene, leaving Kevin talking in an apparently empty hallway, commenting with a single word of approval.
Those online reactions were conversational rather than official changes to the movie. No studio alterations have ever been made to the original motion picture. Still, Culkin is not the only person associated with the production to express discomfort regarding the sequence. Director Chris Columbus has repeatedly addressed the cameo, describing it as an albatross and stating that he regrets including it in the final cut.
Columbus recounted that Trump demanded a spot in the picture in exchange for permission to film inside the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, on top of the standard rental fees.
The filmmaker considered cutting the sequence entirely, but changed course after a test screening audience reacted favorably to the appearance. Trump contested that version of events, asserting in December 2023 that the filmmakers had actually insisted on his participation.
Television broadcasters have occasionally altered the film independently. The Canadian public broadcaster CBC aired a version without the cameo in December 2019. That cut sparked political criticism at the time, though the network clarified that the edit was made back in 2014, long before Trump’s initial presidential campaign, strictly to shorten the run time for commercial breaks.
Despite the recurring controversies surrounding the cameo, the film retains its enduring box office footprint. Alongside Culkin, the production featured Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the burglars Harry and Marv, supported by Tim Curry, Catherine O’Hara, and Brenda Fricker. The feature grossed over 359 million dollars globally upon release, ensuring that audiences return to the New York holiday adventure every December, controversial hotel cameo included or not.
