Macaulay Culkin pays tribute to 'mama' Catherine O'Hara at 2026 Emmy Awards

Macaulay Culkin paid a heartfelt tribute to Catherine O'Hara at the 2026 Emmy Awards on Monday night.

During the In Memoriam segment of the ceremony, the former child actor remembered the late Canadian actress-comedian, who played his mother in the 1990 comedy Home Alone and its sequel, 1992's Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

O'Hara died at the age of 71 in January after suffering a pulmonary embolism, with cancer the underlying cause.

"We remember her as the forgetful mother, right? But I will never forget about her," he began. "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.' 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.

"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."

To conclude, Culkin made a light-hearted reference to the Home Alone movies: "She may have forgotten me - twice - but we will always remember her."

In addition, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy honoured O'Hara, who played their screen mother, Moira Rose, on the sitcom Schitt's Creek.

"Catherine's laugh was a perpetual 'yes and,'" shared Murphy. "It challenged anyone who heard it to join in and be as delighted as she was, and she spread that delight everywhere."

Levy reflected on the "greatest lesson" he learned from O'Hara, adding, "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."

Later in the segment, Noah Kahan performed a rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water as Television Academy officials remembered other actors and industry figures who had died in the past year.

The list included James Van Der Beek, Anthony Head, Diane Ladd, Eric Dane, Hayden Panettiere, Dolly Parton, Robert Carradine, Tim Curry, and Bob Mackie, among many others.

The tribute ended on a still of TV director James Burrows, who died at the age of 85 in June.

After recognising Burrows' contributions, Jamie Lee Curtis then reflected on the loss of her friends Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner.

"Last week, Robby won an Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his beautiful work on The Bear," she said. "And he now holds the record, of 48 years, for the longest gap between acting Emmys - which was previously held by his father, Carl Reiner, at 37 years. He was generous and kind, and funny as hell. And a friend to all. And we all miss Rob and Michele and all those we lost this year."

The couple was found dead at their Brentwood, Los Angeles home last December. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently awaiting trial in custody. He has pleaded not guilty.