# Catherine O'Hara Isn't Dead, But Your Uncle's Media Literacy Might Be
Another day, another celebrity death hoax making the rounds like a bad penny with a Facebook account.
Catherine O'Hara—the woman who gave us Moira Rose's wigs and Kevin McCallister's negligent mother—is alive and well, despite what your aunt's forwarded email claims. The "cause of death revealed" is actually "cause of clickbait confirmed." Again.
Here's the thing about these recurring celebrity death hoaxes: they're not even creative anymore. It's always the same playbook. Vague headline. Urgent tone. Zero actual sources. The digital equivalent of yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, except the theater is the internet and nobody can find the exits.
O'Hara joins the illustrious club of celebrities who've been prematurely killed off by social media's insatiable need for engagement. She's in good company with Morgan Freeman (died twelve times), Jackie Chan (at least eight), and Jeff Goldblum (who actually had to confirm he was alive on *The Colbert Report*). It's like *The Sixth Sense*, except everyone sees dead people who aren't actually dead.
The pattern is depressingly predictable. Someone creates a fake news article. Slaps on an official-looking template. Maybe throws in a stock photo from 2003. Posts it to a sketchy domain registered three weeks ago in a country you can't pronounce. Then watches the shares roll in like they've discovered the algorithm's cheat code.
Which, unfortunately, they have.
These hoaxes work because they exploit something fundamental: we share before we verify. The emotional response hits faster than the critical thinking. By the time you've fact-checked, seventeen people have already tagged the victim's actual relatives in the comments. Classy.
What makes this particularly galling is O'Hara's recent career renaissance. *Schitt's Creek* turned her from "that lady from *Home Alone*" into a legitimate Emmy-winning icon. She's having a moment. She doesn't need fake death for publicity, which somehow makes the hoax feel even more parasitic.
For readers navigating this cesspool of misinformation, [Entertainment Insider](https://entertainmentinsider.com) offers a comprehensive guide to spotting fake celebrity news—because apparently we need a manual for "check if reputable outlets are reporting this."
The cottage industry around celebrity death hoaxes is almost impressive in its shamelessness. There are entire websites dedicated to farming these stories, each one a monument to humanity's worst impulses. They're counting on you not reading past the headline. They're counting on you sharing first, asking questions never.
And it works. Every. Single. Time.
The real victims here aren't the celebrities—O'Hara will be fine, probably laughing about this over a glass of wine that costs more than your car payment. The victims are the fans who experience genuine grief, the family members who field panicked phone calls, and whatever's left of our collective ability to distinguish truth from garbage.
If you're looking to actually track legitimate entertainment news, [Media Discovery Tool](https://mediadiscovery.com) separates signal from noise with something revolutionary called "editorial standards." Meanwhile, [Pop Culture Toolkit](https://popculturetoolkit.com) provides analysis resources for understanding why we fall for this nonsense in the first place.
Here's a radical thought: before sharing that shocking celebrity death announcement, take thirty seconds. Google the person's name. Check if TMZ, Variety, or literally any real outlet is reporting it. If the only source is "Breaking News 247 dot net slash celebrity dash deaths," maybe pump the brakes.
Catherine O'Hara is alive. Your critical thinking skills? Those might need resuscitation.
But at least now you know the difference.