Born March 4th, 1954, Catherine O’Hara is perhaps one of the most notable faces in comedy.
Before her name was known from blockbusters like Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas, she was an actress and comedian in her small town of Toronto, Canada.. Comedy was always her passion, and her love for the discipline shone through every single one of her roles.
On January 30th, 2026, the internet was disheartened to hear that this acting legend had passed away due to a pulmonary embolism. Fans took to the internet to share their grief, through tearful reactions and edit compilations of her career highlights. Celebrities tuned in to say their goodbyes as well, with Macaulay Culkin, son to her Home Alone character posting a gutwrenching dedication on Instagram, claiming “Mama. I thought we had more time.” In the midst of all of this, I was in a state of shock, refusing to believe that one of my favorite actresses had died. At age fourteen, I was introduced to Schitt’s Creek and quickly fell in love with the witty characters and heartwarming storylines. It remains one of my favorite shows of all time; however, attempting a Moira Rose accent truly won’t be the same now that the icon is gone. Catherine O’Hara was a light in the entertainment force, which makes her loss – coming at such a turbulent time in America’s history – all the more painful. Her art and her charismatic spirit will live on forever through her many memorable roles, all of which are worth a watch.
Since she is best known for her side-splitting scenes on the legendary comedy Schitt’s Creek, I have decided to compile some of the best Moira episodes in her memory. Whether you are a long-term fan or newly introduced, these episodes display the true spirit and charisma of Catherine O’Hara’s art.
Season One, Episode One: “Our Cup Runneth Over”
Pilot to this iconic, laugh-out-loud series, this is the first introduction to Catherine O’Hara who plays the self-titled drama queen of the series. The series opens on the highly affluent and theatrical Rose family, who have just discovered they have lost all of their riches. From here, the family learns they must move to Schitt’s Creek, a crappy, rundown town they bought as a joke which is their only remaining asset. Setting the tone for the rest of the show, this episode is a crucial introduction to these wacky characters.
Season One, Episode Six: “Wine and Roses”
Home to some of her most quoted lines, “Wine and Roses” sets the tone for comedy in Schitt’s Creek. When Moira is offered a role in a commercial for a local winery, she is delighted to participate only to find that the product she’s promoting is something she would not touch with a twenty foot pole. This episode will have you exclaiming “This wine is awful, get me another glass!”.
Season Two, Episode Two: “Family Dinner”
Just fold in the cheese! In this hilarious episode, Moira attempts to convince David that it was her, not the nanny, who cooked all the beloved meals of his childhood. This goes awry when the two highly inexperienced chefs take on the task of cooking family dinner. One of the many Schitt’s Creek episodes that has gone down in pop culture history,
Season Two, Episode Nine: “Moira’s Nudes”
With its provocative title and unforgettable plotline, “Moira’s Nudes” is arguably one of the funniest episodes in the entire series. Centered around Moira’s campaign for town board, when she is informed by her opponent of racy photos of her online. Quickly, she must learn to utilize her poor technology skills to delete these photographs, while learning something about herself along the way.
Season Three, Episode Thirteen: “Grad Night”
One of the most heartwarming episodes in the series, “Grad Night” takes a step back from comedy and leaves a focus on Moira and Alexis’ relationship. After years of partying and running around, Alexis is finally graduating high school, but her efforts to thwart her family’s embarrassing support only lead her to realize how much she loves their company. There are very few moments within the entire series where Moira ditches her dramatic front and lets her guard down, but this is one of the most iconic examples of a Moira that is more human as opposed to larger-than-life. A memorable episode for sure, “Grad Night” is all about love in many different forms.
Season Four, Episode One: “Dead Guy in Room 4”
If this title isn’t enticing enough to allot for a watch, I don’t know what is. As the opener for my personal favorite season of the show, the Rose family is shocked to find that a man has passed away in one of their hotel rooms. In true Moira fashion, she dramatizes this incident as though it is of her own doing while the rest of the clan tries to hide this eerie occurrence. The entirety of season four is a flawless blend of the typical Schitt’s Creek comedic stylings along with the humble beginnings of the most iconic romance in the series; Overall, “Dead Guy in Room 4” sets the tone for this season perfectly as well as the series as a whole.
Season Four, Episode Five: “RIP Moira Rose”
A now bittersweet watch, the whole Rose family is shocked when the internet mistakenly reports that Moira has died. However, entranced by the charade, Moira avoids telling anyone outside of Schitt’s Creek to hear the acclaim people have for her after she dies. This proves to be a horrific accident when a reporter tracks down the family to Schitt’s Creek, hoping to get personal comments on her “passing”.
Season Five, Episode One: “The Crowening”
Moira, happy to return to her acting career, travels to Bosnia to film “The Crowening”, a highly on the nose ripoff of Hitchcock’s The Birds. When she discovers the director is half-heartedly producing this movie as a cash grab, she must take matters into her own hands to make her comeback to stardom.
Season Five, Episode Seven: “A Whisper of Desire”
When Moira finds out that her frenemy Jocelyn is directing the community production of Cabaret, she cannot help but insert herself into the process. This episode leads to a whole new arc for Moira, as she accepts the undertaking of directing David’s fiancé, who plays the lead role.
Season Six, Episode Four: “Maid of Honor”
When Moira receives a copy of the trailer for The Crows Have Eyes 3, she is delighted to show her friends in hopes of praise. These hopes are dashed when she realizes that her friends have lied about enjoying the trailer to spare her feelings.
Season Six, Episode Five: “The Premiere”
Moira, excited to be back on the big screen for her new movie, wants every detail of the premiere. Her lavish plans, however, may result in catastrophe as she strives to promote her new movie.
Overall, O’Hara’s legacy in comedy lives on forever through Moira and the rest of her many roles spanning a fifty year career. As her Schitt’s Creek co-star and on-screen son lamented, “what a gift it was to dance in the warm glow of her brilliance all those years,”. For me, this is an incredibly accurate description of the light Catherine brought to the screen and the lives around her. Her career, unlike so many others, was built on spreading joy and laughter and it is only fitting that her memory is kept alive by what she loved best.