Macaulay Culkin chokes up honouring screen mom Catherine O'Hara at Emmys

Three of Catherine O’Hara’s most cherished co-stars and longtime friends came together on Monday night at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, delivering a deeply moving and humorous tribute to the late comedic icon.

Taking the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Macaulay Culkin joined Schitt's Creek stars Dan Levy and Annie Murphy to honor O’Hara, who passed away at the age of 71 after suffering a pulmonary embolism resulting from underlying rectal cancer.

Culkin, 46, who famously starred as Kevin McCallister opposite O’Hara’s frantic matriarch Kate McCallister in the classic Home Alone films, reflected on the lasting bond they forged over decades.

“We remember her as the forgetful mother, right? But I will never forget about her,” Culkin told the audience.

“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. By the way, call your mother tonight. For real. Give it up for the moms.”

Culkin was visibly moved to tears during the tribute (Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

Culkin added: “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.”

Murphy, 39, who starred alongside O'Hara on all six seasons of Schitt’s Creek, recalled the star's boundless warmth on set.

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

Levy, 43, who co-created the acclaimed sitcom and played O'Hara's on-screen son David Rose, brought both laughter and tears to the theater as he detailed what it was like collaborating with her iconic character, Moira Rose.

Catherine O'Hara is just one of several screen legends we lost in the past year (Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)

“The greatest lesson I learned from Catherine both personally and professionally was to always say yes,” Levy said. “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.”

Levy continued with fond memories of her eccentric creative process: “Say yes to that rewrite she sends you, sometimes the night before. ‘Dear Dan: some thoughts.’ It will always improve the story. Say yes to the concept of a wig wall. 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.”

All three of her on-screen children paid tribute to the late actress (Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)

Concluding his tribute, Levy added: “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.”

The emotional speech introduced the evening's In Memoriam segment, which featured a poignant live performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Noah Kahan as television paid tribute to O'Hara and other industry luminaries lost over the past year.