Fact-check: Are the Home Alone cast reunion photos AI-generated? Viral pictures debunked

In the days leading up to Christmas 2025, images claiming to show a reunion of Home Alone stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were circulated widely online, sparking nostalgia among fans of the 1990 holiday classic and its 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. 

The photos appeared to show the three actors sitting together at a restaurant for coffee and dessert. One Facebook post from December 16, 2025 described them as “REUNITED AFTER 35 YEARS,” prompting emotional reactions from viewers. 

The alleged reunion images spread rapidly across Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads and X, with some publishers even reporting them as genuine, according to the fact-checking website Snopes. However, the photos were not authentic. They were created using AI and did not depict a real reunion. 

The images were first posted on December 15 by Angel Cakes, a bakery based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as part of a promotional campaign for its business and holiday products. Despite their convincing appearance and widespread sharing, the images were confirmed to be AI-generated rather than real photographs of the actors together.

Why are the images of Home Alone cast reunion fake?

No credible news organizations reported any reunion involving Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern, and if such a gathering had genuinely occurred with multiple photos, major entertainment outlets worldwide would have covered it, argued Snopes. 

There were also no videos supporting the alleged reunion which raised further doubts, especially since Angel Cakes’ Instagram account frequently posts video content. The six images shared by Angel Cakes displayed several clear indicators of artificial generation including visible inconsistencies in Culkin’s right hand such as mismatched rings and wristwatches.

Another major red flag was the unusually youthful appearance of Pesci, 82, and Stern, 68, who appeared significantly younger than they do in authentic photos from 2020 and 2021. Five of the images showed the trio seated together, while the sixth depicted them standing with a fourth individual holding an Angel Cakes box. 

In that image, Culkin appeared to be wearing a necklace absent from the other photos and had two closely spaced buttons at the bottom of his shirt instead of one, further highlighting inconsistencies that point to the images being fake.

Exploring the plot of Home Alone

The three actors appeared together in the Christmas classic film Home Alone in 1990 and then in its sequel in 1992.

The first film begins with the McCallister family preparing to leave for a Christmas trip to Paris but their youngest son Kevin is ridiculed by relatives and sent to the attic after accidentally ruining dinner. Angry and feeling ignored, Kevin wishes his family would disappear. 

Overnight a storm causes a power outage leading the family to oversleep and accidentally leave Kevin behind. Believing his wish has come true Kevin enjoys his freedom but grows wary of his mysterious neighbor Old Man Marley and the burglars Harry and Marv, known as the Wet Bandits.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s mother Kate realizes he was left behind and desperately tries to return home, eventually traveling with a polka band. Kevin learns the burglars plan to rob his house on Christmas Eve and begins missing his family and befriends Marley, discovering the rumors about him are false. Kevin sets traps throughout the house and injures Harry and Marv before calling the police.

Marley rescues Kevin during the final confrontation and the burglars are arrested. On Christmas Day, Kevin reunites with his family and witnesses Marley reconciling with his own.

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