Rumors have been swirling about Macaulay Culkin, who was seen in a photo earlier this month looking more than just skinny or thin, but terrifyingly gaunt.

Speculations began to circulate that 32-year0old Culkin was having health problems, prompting him to cancel his DJ gig in New York City on Feb. 9, but the star's rep dispelled rumors about the photos posted by Entertainment Tonight.

Macaulay Culkin is in perfectly good health, Culkin's rep told E! News. For Entertainment Tonight, or any other media outlet, to speculate otherwise is reckless, irresponsible and destructive. We implore them to discontinue the rumor.

However, the rumor continued on when Culkin was seen in New York City with friend Natalie Portman and her 8-month-old son Aleph. Witnesses told Us Weekly that Culkin, holding Aleph, looked super skinny and emaciated wearing jeans and sneakers.

When the photos of a gaunt Culkin circulated on Feb. 9, a source told Us Weekly that he is thin, so when he loses one pound it just looks like more.

According to Entertainment Weekly, who posted the photos which sparked rumors, Macaulay Culkin is set to star in a film in the UK, Service Man, set for a 2013 release.

On the other hand, Culkin's younger brother, Kieran Culkin, admitted to The Telegraph that he tries to stay out of the limelight, especially after the gaunt photo of his older brother emerged.

I've honestly been pretty fortunate, Culkin, 29, told The Telegraph. I haven't had to deal with a lot of that stuff but I've seen a lot of people, a lot of friends, having to deal with a lot of media attention and it really hinders their lifestyle. Their decisions become, 'Do I stay indoors all day and wait till nightfall or do I continue doing what I'm doing but know there's some guy stalking me in a car taking pictures of me?'

Culkin said that his tactics include acting uninteresting to avoid media.

I've tried my best to be as distant from that as possible by trying to remain uninteresting so they don't keep their eye on you! I like the (relaxed) pace of working as often as I do until I go broke!

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