During the awards show’s In Memoriam segment, Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin and Schitt’s Creek stars Dan Levy and Annie Murphy took to the stage to honour the 10-time Emmy-nominated actress who played their on-screen mother over the years.
“She was my mom. She was our mama, and by extension, she’s all of our mama,” Culkin said on stage.
O’Hara played Kate McCallister, the mother of Culkin’s Kevin McCallister, in the 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone and its 1992 hit sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Culkin went on to remember O’Hara’s warmth, humour and generosity, reflecting on the lasting impact she had on him throughout their years of working together.
this tribute to Catherine O’Hara at the Emmys was soooo sweet wow. and the camera cuts to Martin Short and Steve Martin crying…I’m not okay. her on-screen children Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy spoke so highly of her
Macaulay: “She was encouraging. She was warm. She was funny. But the word that I think of is ‘momma.’ She was my mom. She was our mom. And by extension, she was all of our mom. She may have forgotten me…twice! But we will always remember her.”
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) September 15, 2026
When fellow Canadian Murphy took to the microphone, she recalled travelling on an Air Canada flight shortly after O’Hara’s passing in January.
“I was passed a note on an Air Canada flight that said, ‘She was so special. I hope you’re doing okay,’” she recalled.
Murphy went on to remember how strangers, including a grieving gas station attendant and an LCBO cashier, offered her hugs during that difficult time.
“These are only a few of the interactions I’ve been lucky enough to have that remind me how profoundly Catherine has impacted the world,” she said. “It’s because she brought us joy.”
When it was his turn to speak, Levy reflected on a lesson he learned from his on-screen mom: always say yes.
“Say yes to giving her space to experiment and create. It will amaze you on a daily basis, and it will change your life,” he went on to say.
“Say yes to her dinner invites, her stories, her wisdom, and her generosity. Those are the things you will hold on to the tightest.”
The emotional tribute left few dry eyes in the audience, with the cameras capturing misty-eyed stars including Martin Short, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Brenda Strong, Culkin’s wife.
Throughout her illustrious career, O’Hara won two Emmys of her own. Her first came in 1982 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for SCTV Network, followed nearly four decades later by a win in 2020 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her unforgettable performance as matriarch Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek.
In 2025, shortly before her death, O’Hara received yet another Emmy nomination, this time for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in The Studio.
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