At the 2026 Emmy Awards, “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.”
