Catherine O’Hara Revealed What Her Kids Inherited in Emotional Interview Before Her Death: ‘I’m Proud to Say…’
Catherine O’Hara had quite the iconic career, but one of her biggest accomplishments was being a mom to her two kids.
Reps for the actress confirmed her death on Jan. 30. She died at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness. She was 71. The iconic actress graced the big screens as Kevin McAllister’s mom in Home Alone and Home Alone 2, Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice and its sequel, and on the small screens as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek.
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In 1992, she married Bo Welch after the two met on the set of Beetlejuice, where he worked as a set designer. Since their faithful meeting, they raised a very private family.
Who are Catherine O’Hara’s kids?
Catherine O’Hara shares two kids with husband Bo Welch: Matthew, born in 1994, and Luke, born in 1997. The happy family kept their life out of the spotlight. However, the actress always talked about being a proud mother.
“It’s great to play a realized mother because it is one of the most important roles in life,” she told Variety in 2020.
As youngsters, O’Hara was proud that her sons inherited her funny bone. “Matthew and Luke,” she told the Toronto Star in 2007. “They’re very funny, and we encourage it. The older one does Warners cartoon bits, really old-fashioned, cheap-ass funny vaudeville stuff. And the little one does word play. I’m proud to say, we all make each other laugh. Like in my home, growing up. I learned that from my parents. They made each other laugh to the end, God bless ‘em. How great is that?”
The actress revealed that both of her sons worked on her show Schitt’s Creek, where one of her sons was a set dresser, and the other was in set construction. She also said that her role in HBO’s The Last of Us came about because one of her sons worked on the show as a dresser.
The mother of two had always prioritized her sons, even when working hard as an actress. “I’ve always…In deciding what work I might get involved in for my whole working life, my family’s always come first,” she told 519 Magazine. “I have two sons, and when they were babies, I thought what’s the point? What’s the point of having children if I’m not going to be with them, so that was always number one consideration and always will be.”
In a 2019 interview with Vulture, she talked about social media’s impact on her sons and how they argued that video games could lead to a lucrative career. “When I wanted them to get off their games, they’d go, ‘We can make really big money!’ and they’d talk about [this] guy who plays games on the internet. And then I saw him on Colbert and there was no conversation. He actually showed clips from his work!”
In 2024, O’Hara recalled how she almost had a Home Alone moment with her kids by almost leaving them on the New York City subway platform. “We [Welch and I] turned around, the doors are closing, and they just weren’t on,” she told People in January 2024 of the heart-racing moment. “I screamed and people screamed with me. Everybody joined in.” Thankfully, the train’s doors reopened and her sons were able to board. Still, the experience left her nervous. “It makes me sick to think what could have happened,” she said.
Even though they aren’t biologically related, she’s also considered her Home Alone co-star, Macaulay Culkin, her “fake son.” The Schitt’s Creek star kept a close bond with the young actor throughout the years and gave a speech dedicated to Culkin when he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “You so deserve your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” she said. “And thank you for including me, your fake mom, who left you home alone not once but twice, to share in this happy occasion. I’m so proud of you.”
An hour after her death was announced, Culkin gave a tribute to his co-star on Instagram. “Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. 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.”
