At the 2026 Emmy Awards on Sunday, “Home Alone” actress Catherine O’Hara received a special tribute. On stage, Macaulay Culkin, who played her son Kevin in the film, broke down in tears as he shared details of their warm relationship.
The Home Alone films, starring Macaulay Culkin as the young boy “Kevin,” remain a Christmas classic. The actor has struggled for much of his life after the films’ success, but one person who was always there was Catherine O’Hara.
She starred as Kevin’s mother in the movies, and they maintained a close bond for decades. When Macaulay Culkin was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023, O’Hara attended and gave a speech. The Home Alone films made Culkin a star, and the actress said that couldn’t have been easy.
“I believe you’d have to possess a certain quality, a gift that dear [Home Alone writer and producer] John Hughes obviously recognized in you,” O’Hara said in her speech.
“Macaulay, your sense of humor, it’s a sign of intelligence in a child, and a key to surviving life at any age. And you have, from what I see, you have brought that sense of sweet, yet twisted, yet totally relatable sense of humor to everything that you have chosen to do since Home Alone.”
During the speech, Culkin teared up.
“Home Alone was, is, and will always be a beloved global sensation,” O’Hara added. “The reason families all over the world can’t let a year go by without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin.”
Macaulay Culkin & Catherine O’Hara – a family-like bond
On January 30, Catherine O’Hara passed away at age 71. The devastating news sent shockwaves through Hollywood, and tributes poured in. Macaulay Culkin took to Instagram to pay tribute, calling her “Mama.”
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more,” he wrote. “I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
Later, her death certificate showed that Catherine O’Hara died of a pulmonary embolism. Besides a blood clot in her lungs, the death certificate also listed rectal cancer as the long-term cause of death.
On Sunday, during the 2026 Emmy Awards, the show honored actors and actresses who have passed away in the last year. Following the in memoriam segment, Catherine O’Hara and Rob Reiner were specifically honored.
Macaulay Culkin shares tearjerking confession about ‘mom’ Catherine O’Hara
Macaulay Culkin took the stage together with Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, who co-starred with O’Hara in the television series Schitt’s Creek. The Home Alone star delivered a tear-jerking speech, revealing that Catherine would be like his real mom, always there for him.
“We remember her as the forgetful mother, right? But I will never forget about her,” Culkin, now 46, said, referring to starring alongside O’Hara in the Home Alone movies.
“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,'” he continued. “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.”
Macaulay Culkin concluded, “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.”
Rest in peace, Catherine O’Hara, and thank you, Macaulay, for the wonderful tribute. Please share your best memories of Catherine in the comment section.
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