Macaulay Culkin fought back tears as he remembered his onscreen mum Catherine O’Hara during a moving tribute at the 2026 Emmys.
The actor joined Annie Murphy and Dan Levy on stage during Monday night's ceremony to honour the late actress, who died in January aged 71.
Culkin, who starred alongside O’Hara in the Home Alone films, became emotional as he spoke about the actress and the impact she had on his life.
Murphy and Levy also shared the stage with Culkin, having played O’Hara’s children Alexis and David Rose throughout all six seasons of Schitt’s Creek.
Culkin became emotional as he spoke about the actress, referring to her as his “mama”.
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“Like a good mother, she always showed up when I asked her to because that was Catherine,” he shared. “That’s what she did; she showed up. And this is the best that we can do for her tonight, showing up for her.”
He then made a reference to the famous Home Alone storyline, in which Kate repeatedly forgets her son Kevin.
“She may have forgotten me… twice,” he joked, “but we will always remember her.”
Murphy also paid tribute to O’Hara, describing her as someone who “spread light” and “brought us joy.”
Dan Levy reflected on the lessons he learned from working with O’Hara on Schitt’s Creek.
“The greatest lesson I learned from Catherine was to always say yes,” Levy shared, adding that she was always “miles ahead” but he learned to catch up.
“Say yes to her dinner invites and her stories and her wisdom and her generosity,” he continued. “These are the things you will hang onto the tightest.”
Levy also paid tribute to O’Hara before the ceremony, wearing a black rose on his left lapel, just over his heart.
The emotional tribute comes months after O’Hara's death on January 30.
Her cause of death was later revealed to have been a pulmonary embolism.
O’Hara was remembered at several major awards ceremonies throughout 2026.
She appeared in the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment in March, where Rachel McAdams honoured both O’Hara and Diane Keaton.
She was also remembered during the SAG Actor Awards earlier that month, where she received a posthumous award for outstanding female actress in a comedy series for her role as Patty Leigh in Apple TV’s The Studio.
O’Hara became the first woman to receive the SAG-AFTRA posthumous award.
Seth Rogen accepted the award on her behalf and paid tribute to her during the ceremony.
“She really showed you can be a genius and kind, and one doesn’t have to come at the expense of the other way in any shape or form,” he said.
“We’re lucky to live in a world where she shared her talent with us.”
Following O’Hara’s death, Culkin also shared an emotional tribute to the actress, remembering the woman who had played his mother in one of the most beloved Christmas films of all time.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
O’Hara's Schitt’s Creek family also paid tribute to her following her death.
Eugene Levy, who played her onscreen husband Johnny Rose, said he had the honour of knowing and working with O’Hara for more than 50 years.
Murphy also shared her memories of her friend and co-star.
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“Ha-ha-HAAAA?!?! Her laugh was a perpetual Yes, And… It challenged anyone who heard it to join in, and be as delighted as she was. Gosh, were we ever lucky to have her.”
O’Hara leaves behind a career spanning decades, with her performances in Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek and The Studio among the roles that introduced her to generations of fans.
