Macaulay Culkin Gets Emotional as Catherine O’Hara’s TV and Movie Kids Reunite on Stage

What happened on stage at the Peacock Theatre

Macaulay Culkin had everyone reaching for the tissues in Los Angeles.

The Home Alone star stepped out at the Peacock Theatre alongside Schitt's Creek stars Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. Their mission? To give the ultimate shoutout to Catherine O'Hara.

All three actors share one massive pop-culture badge of honour: playing Catherine's on-screen children. And let's be honest, that is quite the family tree.

Culkin took the mic and could barely hold back his tears as he spoke about his former movie mum. He called her "mama" and praised the warmth she brought to set when he was just a nine-year-old child star running around movie sets.

Levy and Murphy stood right beside him, nodding along. The room gave them a standing ovation before they even finished the intro.

The background between Macaulay and Catherine

To understand why this hit so hard, you have to rewind to 1990.

Culkin was a pint-sized kid playing Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. Catherine played Kate McCallister, the frantic mum screaming his name in an airport after accidentally boarding a flight to Paris without him.

They spent months working closely together on the original smash hit and its 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The bond never faded.

Even after Culkin stepped away from the spotlight for years, the two stayed tight. Catherine even turned up to give a moving speech when Culkin received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in late 2023. Back then, Culkin wept openly as she called him the reason Home Alone became a timeless holiday staple.

Now, Culkin returned the favour on a massive stage. And yes, the waterworks flowed again.

Dan Levy and Annie Murphy join the family fold

Culkin wasn't the only child checking in on mum.

Dan Levy and Annie Murphy spent six seasons playing David and Alexis Rose opposite Catherine's eccentric matriarch Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek. They brought the laughs, but they also brought serious love.

Levy joked about sharing their legendary fictional mother with the biggest child star of the nineties. The banter between the trio felt easy, warm, and genuinely sweet.

Murphy beamed as the crowd erupted, backing up Culkin's praise for Catherine's comedic genius and kindness behind the cameras. Seeing the Rose siblings standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kevin McCallister was pure television gold.

What's actually been said about their bond

Culkin has never hidden how much Catherine means to him. During the tribute, reported by the Mirror, he made it clear she was a steadying, loving force when his real-world childhood was chaotic.

Catherine herself sat in the audience, visibly moved as her former co-stars cracked jokes and sang her praises. She blew kisses from her seat and clapped along with the packed auditorium.

Off stage, fans know Catherine treats her former castmates like real extended family. Levy has repeatedly said working with her felt like a masterclass in both acting and being a decent human being.

Culkin echoed that sentiment word for word. He made sure the entire industry knew that her off-camera heart matches her on-camera talent.

How fans are reacting online

Social media went into absolute meltdown the second the clip surfaced.

Fans couldn't get over the crossover of the century: the McCallisters meeting the Roses. Memes immediately flooded feeds, imagining Moira Rose trying to survive a Chicago Christmas with Kevin's booby traps.

Many viewers pointed out how rare it is to see child stars speak so glowingly about their screen parents decades later. People loved seeing Culkin look so happy, healthy, and emotionally open with his peers.

"Macaulay calling Catherine 'mama' broke my heart in the best way," one fan wrote, summing up what thousands were thinking.

What this means for Catherine O'Hara's legacy

Catherine remains one of the sharpest comedy minds in the business, and this tribute made that crystal clear.

From her early days in sketch comedy to iconic movie roles in Beetlejuice and Home Alone, right through to her Emmy-sweeping run on Schitt's Creek, she has built an unmatched career.

Having her fictional kids gather in one spot to celebrate her shows the lasting mark she leaves on everyone she works with. Culkin's tears showed just how real that love is.