During the Emmys, they brought out Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone), Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek), and Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) to pay their tribute to their co-star, Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek). Spencer Althouse shares the moment.
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
They knew her mostly as their on-set mom for both the films Home Alone 1 & 2 (1990-1992) and the television series Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020). They shared their love and respect to her through their speeches.
Culkin says: “She was encouraging. She was warm. She was funny. But the word that I think of is a ‘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.”
Culkin has always seen her as a “momma” to not only himself, but for everyone. He also made a callback to the film Home Alone, showing their shared-bond over the years.
Murphy then says: “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, ‘David, where’s the baby?’ which I can only assume was her 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 and it’s because she brought us joy.”
Levy then says: “The greatest lesson I learned from Catherine both professionally and personally was to 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 ball. 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.”
They all finish off, thanking the audience and leaving the stage. But their words have never felt truer. Different experiences from all three that really show O’Hare’s legacy living on.