Catherine O’Hara Remembered by Her TV & Movie Kids in Emotional Emmys Tribute

Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy took  the Emmys stage Monday to remember their late co-star Catherine O’Hara, who died this year at 71.

O’Hara played Culkin’s mom in the iconic “Home Alone” franchise.

Macaulay began his tribute, saying, “We remember her as the forgetful mother. But I will never forget about her. There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging. She was warm. She was funny. But the word that I think of is ‘mama.’”

Catherine was married Bo Welch and was the mother of their sons Matthew and Luke. Macaulay emphasized, “She was my mom. She was our mama and, by extension, she’s all of our mamas. By the way, call your mother tonight, for real. But like a good mama, 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.”

Annie, who played Catherine’s daughter on “Schitt’s Creek,” went next. She said, “Catherine’s laugh was a perpetual ‘yes.’ It challenged anyone who heard it to join in and be as delighted as she was, and she spread that delight everywhere.”

Opening up on the outpouring love and support following Catherine’s death, Annie shared, “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 mash-up, which was a woman saying, ‘Ew, David, where’s the baby?’ while doing what I can only assume was 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.”

As Dan, another of her “Schitt’s Creek” co-stars, said, one of his major life lessons from Catherine was “to always say yes.”

He explained, “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 onto the tightest. Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness.”