She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for April 2005. She had auditioned to be the 50th Anniversary Playmate in 2003; although accepted as a Playmate, the sheer number of women who auditioned for this nationwide search caused the two year wait to become Playmate. Culkin was the first woman from Long Island, New York to be selected Playmate since Karen Velez, (Rockville Centre, New York) in 1984. She inspired her childhood friend, Monica Leigh, to also become a Playmate (Miss March 2006). The two have been friends since the age of 12.