Catherine O'Hara received a moving tribute at the 2026 Emmys.
Her on-screen children honoured her generosity, warmth and spirit to experiment.
Annie Murphy, Dan Levy, Macaulay Culkin came together to offer tribute.
Three of Catherine O’Hara‘s friends and co-stars united to pay a moving tribute to the late actress at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Dan Levy, Annie Murphy and Macaulay Culkin took the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to share memories of working with O’Hara, who passed away at the age of 71 after suffering a pulmonary embolism. O'Hara was Culkin's on-screen mom in Home Alone (1990).
“There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging, she was warm, she was funny. But the word I think of is ‘mama,’ ” Culkin added. “She wasn’t just a wife and mother to Bo and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom. And by extension, she’s all of our mama. By the way, call your mother tonight. For real. Give it up for the moms.”
Culkin continued, “Like a good mom, 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 — but we will always remember her.”
Annie Murphy Talks About Catherine O'Hara
Murphy then took over. She played O’Hara’s daughter, Alexis, in the Emmy-winning show, Schitt’s Creek.
“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,'” Murphy recalled. “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 in 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.”
Dan Levy, who essayed O’Hara’s son David on Schitt’s Creek, wound up the tributes, expounding on the power of saying yes.
“Say yes to her naming that wig,” Levy said. “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 onto the tightest. Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness.”
O’Hara's five-decade career spans titles like Beetlejuice, Second City Television, The Studio, Best in Show.
