‘Mama, I thought we had time’: Macaulay Culkin pays tribute to ‘Home Alone’ mom Catherine O’Hara
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Catherine O'Hara's death has left Hollywood in deep shock and grief. The Emmy-winning actress died on Friday, January 30, at her home after a brief illness, her agency CAA cited in its statement.
As tributes poured in, Macaulay Culkin, who played Kevin McCallister in the 1990 Christmas classic ‘Home Alone’, shared a deeply emotional message that reminded fans that their movie bond was far more than just one limited to film sets.
Macaulay Culkin remembers movie mom Catherine O'Hara with raw emotion
Macaulay Culkin, shared a touching tribute to Catherine O’Hara on Instagram following her death.
O’Hara played his on-screen mother, Kate McCallister, but Culkin made it clear their connection went much deeper.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more,” Culkin wrote alongside a collage showing photos of them from the film and later years. “I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
"I love you. I’ll see you later," he added in the comments section, "I’m mad about this…"
The post quickly resonated with fans, many of whom grew up watching their warm and chaotic family dynamic on screen.
Macaulay Culkin and Catherine O'Hara's reunion
O’Hara starred in 'Home Alone' and 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' as Kate McCallister, mother of Culkin’s Kevin McCallister. The bond they formed while filming extended beyond the screen, evolving into a lasting real-life relationship over the years.
Their on-screen bond came full circle in December 2023, when the two shared an emotional reunion at Culkin’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, with O’Hara delivering a heartfelt speech reflecting on his early talent and lasting impact.
“Macaulay — this beautiful, dear little 10-year-old boy — was called a superstar, a moneymaker, one of the hottest leading young men in Hollywood by the world over. How does anyone survive that?” O’Hara said in her speech.
“Well, I believe you’d have to possess a certain quality, a gift that dear [writer-producer] John Hughes obviously recognized in you, Macaulay: your sense of humor. It’s a sign of intelligence in a child, and a key to surviving life at any age. And from what I see, you have brought this sweet, yet twisted, yet totally relatable sense of humor to everything that you have chosen to do since ‘Home Alone.’
“Thank you for including me — your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice — to share in this happy occasion,” she concluded. “I’m so proud of you.”
An emotional Culkin was seen wiping away tears as they both hugged each other.
