‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Home Alone’ stars honour Catherine O’Hara at the Emmys

Macaulay Culkin, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy honoured Canadian comic actor Catherine O’Hara during the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Emmy Awards. O’Hara, who died in January at age 71, had received 10 Emmy nominations and played an on-screen mother to all three actors.

Culkin, who played Kevin McCallister opposite O’Hara’s Kate McCallister in 1990’s Home Alone and its 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, remembered her warmth, humour and generosity. He said she was his mother, “our mama” and, by extension, everyone’s mama.

Murphy recalled receiving a note on an Air Canada flight shortly after O’Hara’s death: “She was so special. I hope you’re doing okay.” She said strangers, including a grieving gas station attendant and an LCBO cashier, also offered hugs, reflecting O’Hara’s profound impact because “she brought us joy.” Levy said his on-screen mother taught him to say yes: to giving her room to experiment and create, and to her dinner invitations, stories, wisdom and generosity.

The tribute drew emotional reactions from audience members including Martin Short, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Culkin’s wife, Brenda Strong. O’Hara won two Emmys: in 1982 for outstanding writing in a variety or music program for SCTV Network, and in 2020 for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for playing Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek. Shortly before her death, she received a 2025 nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for The Studio.