The 2026 Emmy Awards paid tribute Monday to Catherine O’Hara, with three of her most famous onscreen children on hand to honor her memory.
Macaulay Culkin, who played O’Hara’s son Kevin McCallister in the first two “Home Alone” movies, joined “Schitt’s Creek” stars Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, aka David and Alexis Rose, to remember their TV and movie mom.
“You remember her as the forget mother, right? But I will never forget about her,” Culkin began. “You know, there are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging, she was warm, she was funny… but the word that I think of is Mama. She was wasn’t just a wife and and mother to Bo, Matthew, and Luke, she was my mom. She was our mama — and by extension, she’s all of our mama. But like a good mama, she always showed up when I asked her to, because that was Catherine. That’s what she did. She showed up, and this is the best that we can do for her tonight. We’re showing up for her.
“She may have forgotten me twice,” Culkin deadpanned, referring to the “Home Alone” films, “but we will always remember her. Thank you.”
Then came Murphy’s tribute: “Catherine’s laugh was a perpetual ‘Yes, and….’ It challenged anyone who heard it to join in and be as delighted as she was. And she spread that delight everywhere. After we lost Catherine, I was passed a note on an Air Canada flight that said, ‘She was so special. I hope you’re doing okay.’ On a drive up north, I was hugged by an extremely gruff-looking gas station attendant who was also grieving her loss. While buying wine at the LCBO, I was treated to a very lively Catherine mashup, which was a woman saying, ‘Ew, David, where’s the baby,’ while doing what I can only assume was Catherine’s exquisite hobble from ‘Best iIn Show.’ These are only a very few of the interactions I’ve been lucky enough to have that remind me how profoundly Catherine has impacted the world, and it’s because she brought us joy.”
Finally it was Levy’s turn, who began by sharing the greatest lesson he ever learned from O’Hara: “Always say yes. Say yes to her instincts, all of them. As radical as they may sometimes seem, she is miles ahead of you, and you will learn to catch up. Say yes to helping her build a TV character over the age of 60 that wears leather miniskirts and eight-inch heels, and speaks in a strange, sometimes unintelligible transatlantic accent, and know that she will not scare an audience away. Say yes to that rewrite she emails you — sometimes the night before. ‘Dear Dan, some thoughts…’ It will always improve the story. Say yes to the concept of a wig wall. Say yes to her asking to wear a wig as a hat. Say yes to her naming that wig. Say yes to giving her space to experiment and create. It will amaze you on a daily basis, and it will change your life. Say yes to her dinner invites… and her stories… and her wisdom… and her generosity. Those are the things you will hold on to the tightest. Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness.”
Then came the In Memoriam, honoring all of the industry greatness we lost this year, accompanied by a performance from Noah Khan.
