Dolly Parton and Rob Reiner Honored in Emotional Tributes at 2026 Emmy Awards
The 78th Emmy Awards paid tribute to Dolly Parton, Rob Reiner, and Catherine O'Hara with heartfelt remembrances from Sally Field, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Macaulay Culkin.
The 78th Emmy Awards became a night of remembrance as the television industry honored three late entertainment icons: country music legend Dolly Parton, director Rob Reiner, and actress Catherine O'Hara. The tributes, delivered by longtime friends and collaborators, turned the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles into a space of collective mourning and celebration.
Sally Field, who starred alongside Parton in the 1989 film «Steel Magnolias», delivered a moving eulogy for the singer, who died on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. «If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one, Dolly Parton,» Field told the audience. She recalled Parton's warmth and humor, describing her as «genuine, and humble, supportive and blisteringly funny with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide.» Field, 79, admitted she «couldn't see then what a real giant Dolly was,» praising her not only as an artist but as a humanitarian whose contributions made a profound difference in Tennessee and across the country.
Reba McEntire, dressed in a sparkling white gown, performed Parton's 1983 classic «Appalachian Memories» as a musical tribute. Parton died peacefully at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by loved ones.
The ceremony also honored director Rob Reiner, who died in December alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. Jamie Lee Curtis led the remembrance, calling him «generous and kind and funny as hell and a friend to all.» Noah Kahan performed «Bridge Over Troubled Water» in his honor. Reiner's death came amid a tragic family tragedy: their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was indicted last month on two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, making him eligible for the death penalty.
Curtis noted that Reiner received a posthumous Emmy during the Creative Arts Emmys for his guest role in «The Bear.» «He now holds the record of 48 years for the longest gap between acting Emmys, which was previously held by his father Carl Reiner at 37 years,» she said through tears.
The evening also included a tribute to Catherine O'Hara, the «Home Alone» and «Schitt's Creek» actress who died in January following a brief illness at age 71. Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy took the stage to remember her. «There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine,» Culkin said. «She was encouraging, she was warm, she was funny. But the word that I think of is mama.» He added a heartfelt plea: «By the way, call your mother tonight. For real.»
The tributes underscored the deep personal connections these stars forged with their peers and the lasting impact of their work. As the Emmy Awards celebrated the best in television, the night also served as a reminder of the legacies left behind by three figures whose talents spanned music, film, and television.
