Brenda Song

Song began dating actor Macaulay Culkin in 2017 after the two met in Thailand while filming the comedy-drama Changeland. The couple became engaged in January 2022. They share two sons, welcoming their first, Dakota, in 2021 and a second boy in 2022. The family lives in Los Angeles. Song was previously in an on-and-off relationship with musician Trace Cyrus between 2010 and 2017, including a brief engagement.

Her parents were born in Thailand and immigrated to the United States, meeting as adults in Sacramento. Her father is Hmong and her mother is of Thai descent. Her paternal grandparents belonged to the Xiong clan and anglicized their surname to Song upon arriving in America. Song began training in taekwondo as a child alongside her younger brother. She earned a black belt in the discipline. After completing high school through homeschooling at age 16, she attended community college and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

Song began modeling in San Francisco at age six after being scouted in a shopping mall. Commercials for Little Caesars and Barbie soon followed. She made her screen debut with guest spots on Thunder Alley and regular roles on Fudge and Nickelodeon's 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. In 2000, she starred in the Disney Channel movie The Ultimate Christmas Present, earning a Young Artist Award for her performance.

Her signature role arrived in 2005 as spoiled hotel heiress London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Song secured the part without an audition. She received an acceptance letter from Harvard University at age 15 around the same time, but chose the television series instead. The Suite Life premiered to four million viewers. She played London for six years across the original series and its spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck.

Disney cast her as the lead in the 2006 action film Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. Song performed most of her own stunts with stunt coordinator Koichi Sakamoto. Over 5.7 million viewers tuned in to the premiere. She also hosted the educational interstitial series Pass the Plate and appeared in Disney Channel films including Get a Clue and Stuck in the Suburbs.

Song shifted away from teen programming by joining David Fincher's biographical drama The Social Network in 2010. She portrayed Christy Lee, a Harvard student dating Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. Disney initially resisted her taking the part due to adult content. Song pushed for the role. The production earned critical acclaim and a spot in the National Film Registry.

Television guest roles followed quickly. She secured recurring appearances on ABC's Scandal and Fox's New Girl. In 2013, she joined the main cast of the Fox sitcom Dads as Veronica. She signed a talent holding deal with Fox in 2014, leading to parts in the CBS medical drama Pure Genius and ABC's Station 19. Song returned to comedy in 2019 as Madison Maxwell in the Hulu series Dollface, starring opposite Kat Dennings across two seasons.

Voice performance became a major element of Song's work in 2019 when Disney Channel cast her as lead protagonist Anne Boonchuy in Amphibia. She voiced the human teenager across three seasons through 2022. Other animation roles followed. She voiced Princess Akemi in Netflix's acclaimed historical series Blue Eye Samurai and provided voices for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

In 2024, Song starred as showgirl Mary-Anne in Gia Coppola's drama The Last Showgirl alongside Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis. The cast shared a Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. She then joined Mindy Kaling's Netflix sports comedy series Running Point in 2025, portraying front-office chief of staff Ali Lee. The role earned her the Variety Virtuoso Award at the Bentonville Film Festival.