In Home Alone, O’Hara's Kate McCallister accidentally leaves Kevin behind twice.
At the Emmys, Culkin transformed that fictional mistake into a tribute.
“She may have forgotten me twice, but we will always remember her.”
The line made the audience laugh while also emphasizing the finality of the moment.
It was a perfect example of how humor can coexist with grief.
Instead of trying to make the tribute entirely solemn, Culkin allowed O’Hara's comedy to remain part of the farewell.
That may have been one of the most fitting ways to remember her.
A Tribute That Felt Like Family
The 2026 Emmy Awards could have remembered O’Hara simply by showing clips from her career.
There was certainly enough material.
Five decades of performances would have provided countless memorable moments.
But the decision to bring three of her onscreen children together made the tribute much more personal.
Culkin represented Home Alone.
Levy and Murphy represented Schitt’s Creek.
Together, they represented the different eras of O’Hara's career.
And more importantly, they represented the people who had actually worked beside her.
Their stories were not generic descriptions of a famous actress.
They were memories of a colleague, friend, mentor and onscreen mother.
That made the tribute feel intimate even though it was broadcast to a global audience.
The Emotional Meaning of “Mama”
The word “mama” carried particular weight because it appeared repeatedly throughout the tribute.
It was the word Culkin chose to describe O’Hara.
It was also the word that connected him to the character she played in Home Alone.
And it was a word that could be extended to the Schitt’s Creek cast as well.
O’Hara had spent much of her career playing women who were larger than life.
But Culkin's description reduced everything to something simple.
She was someone who cared.
Someone who showed up.
Someone whose presence continued to matter decades after they had worked together.
That is a different kind of legacy from an Emmy, a box-office success or a famous character.
It is the legacy of being remembered with genuine affection.
Catherine O’Hara's Influence Will Continue
O’Hara's work will continue to be discovered by new audiences.
Home Alone remains a holiday staple.
Beetlejuice continues to introduce her work to younger viewers.
Schitt’s Creek remains widely watched.
Her comedy performances are preserved through recordings and streaming.
And the characters she created have become part of popular culture.
Moira Rose's expressions, wigs and vocabulary continue to appear in memes and social media references.
Kate McCallister remains one of the most recognizable movie mothers associated with Christmas cinema.
That kind of cultural longevity is difficult to manufacture.
It comes from performances that audiences genuinely want to revisit.
The Final Image Was About Remembering
As the In Memoriam segment continued, images of O’Hara and other members of the entertainment industry who had died were shown to the audience.
Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan performed during the segment, accompanying the tribute with a rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
But for many viewers, the image that remained was the one of Culkin, Levy and Murphy standing together.
Three actors.
Three onscreen children.
One actress they all considered family.
The moment connected movies and television, childhood and adulthood, comedy and grief.
And it gave audiences one final opportunity to see O’Hara through the eyes of people who knew her personally.
Remembering More Than the Characters
Catherine O’Hara leaves behind an extraordinary body of work.
She was a comedian.
An actress.
An improviser.
A television performer.
A film star.
A voice actor.
An Emmy winner.
But her colleagues' memories suggest that her greatest legacy may have been the effect she had on the people around her.
Culkin remembered her warmth and encouragement.
Murphy remembered her laugh and the joy she spread.
Levy remembered her creativity and generosity.
Their stories presented a picture of someone whose influence extended far beyond individual performances.
That is why the Emmy tribute resonated so strongly.
The audience already knew Catherine O’Hara the performer.
For a few minutes, they were introduced to Catherine O’Hara the person as remembered by the people who had been lucky enough to call her family.
“We Will Always Remember Her”
Catherine O’Hara spent more than five decades making audiences laugh.
She played mothers, daughters, artists, socialites, eccentrics, villains and unforgettable comedic characters.
She could be absurd without losing emotional truth.
She could make a ridiculous character feel human.
And she could turn a small gesture or unusual line reading into something audiences remembered for years.
At the 2026 Emmys, the people who knew her best did not try to summarize that entire career.
Instead, they told the audience what she meant to them.
For Macaulay Culkin, she was his “mama.”
For Annie Murphy and Dan Levy, she was their onscreen mother and a creative force who helped define Schitt’s Creek.
For audiences, she was the woman who made Kate McCallister unforgettable, who transformed Moira Rose into a television icon, and who spent decades bringing laughter to the screen.
Her death marked the end of an extraordinary career.
But the Emmys made clear that her story did not end with her final performance.
It continues every time someone watches Home Alone at Christmas.
Every time someone quotes Moira Rose.
Every time a viewer discovers SCTV or Beetlejuice for the first time.
And every time one of her former co-stars tells a story about the woman behind the characters.
Culkin's final words captured that legacy perfectly.
She may have “forgotten” Kevin twice on screen.
But in real life, the people who worked with Catherine O’Hara clearly intend to keep remembering her.
And so will the audiences whose lives she touched.
Sources
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Associated Press / The Washington Post — “Macaulay Culkin and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ stars honor Catherine O’Hara in moving Emmys tribute” (September 14, 2026). Details Culkin's “mama” tribute, the reunion with Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, and O’Hara's career.
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Los Angeles Times — “Emmys In Memoriam: Catherine O’Hara honored by her ‘kids’ as Jamie Lee Curtis remembers Rob Reiner” (September 14, 2026). Reports the full Emmy tribute and Culkin's closing reference to the two Home Alone films.
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Reuters — “Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death confirmed by public health department” (February 9, 2026). Confirms O’Hara's January 30 death at age 71 and the cause of death listed on her death certificate.
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Los Angeles Times — “Macaulay Culkin mourns ‘Home Alone’ mom Catherine O’Hara” (January 30, 2026). Provides background on O’Hara's relationship with Culkin and his public reaction following her death.
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The Washington Post — “Catherine O’Hara, comedy star with a flair for improv, dies at 71” (January 30, 2026). Provides an overview of O’Hara's career, including SCTV, Home Alone, Beetlejuice and Schitt’s Creek.
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Vanity Fair — “Catherine O’Hara, Beloved Emmy Winner and Schitt’s Creek Star, Dies at 71” (January 30, 2026). Reviews O’Hara's career and major achievements.