Catherine O’Hara tribute moment at Westminster Dog Show sparks fresh wave of Moira Rose quotes and fan memorials

A brief tribute to Catherine O’Hara during the 150th Westminster Dog Show has set off a fresh wave of fan memorials and Moira Rose quote-sharing, blending two corners of pop culture that O’Hara helped define: the heightened pageantry of competitive dog shows and the theatrical one-liners that made her sitcom matriarch a modern favorite.

The tribute aired during the final night of competition in New York City on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 (ET), days after O’Hara’s death. It prompted an immediate surge of clips, reaction posts, and “in-character” tributes from fans who used Moira Rose’s signature vocabulary as a shorthand for grief and gratitude.

A tribute timed to the terrier ring

During the live show at Madison Square Garden, organizers paused ahead of Terrier Group judging to honor O’Hara’s connection to dog-show lore. The arena screens played a short montage of her work and closed with a simple message praising her as an enduring talent and icon.

The nod carried extra resonance because O’Hara played Cookie Fleck, the Norwich terrier owner in the 2000 mockumentary “Best in Show,” a film that remains a touchstone for dog people and comedy fans alike. By placing the tribute right before the terrier judging—where Norwich terriers are part of the conversation—the show effectively turned a quick commemorative moment into a tightly themed farewell.

Why this hit fans so hard

O’Hara’s death on Friday, January 30, 2026 (ET), came as a shock to many viewers who still associate her with roles that are rewatched yearly—holiday films, ensemble comedies, and, most recently, the sitcom character who turned melodrama into an art form.

The Westminster moment offered something rare: a mainstream, non-entertainment event making space for a cultural figure whose work shaped how audiences joke, quote, and mourn online. Fans didn’t just repost the montage; they treated it like a shared “wake,” building small memorials in the language O’Hara made iconic—overwrought, affectionate, and oddly comforting.

Moira Rose quotes become memorial language

Within hours of the tribute, Moira Rose quotes and catchphrases surged again—less as memes and more as a communal way to say goodbye. Many posts paired a favorite line with a photo of O’Hara, a still from the show, or a personal message about how her work helped people through hard seasons.

A few of the short, commonly repeated lines fans leaned on included:

• “Bébé.”

• “Love that journey for me.”

• “Ew, David.”

The quotes functioned like inside jokes among strangers: not everyone needs the same words to grieve, but fans of a character do recognize one another instantly.

The dog-show connection that keeps resurfacing

For Westminster viewers, O’Hara’s “Best in Show” role has long felt like a friendly mirror held up to the sport—playful, sharp, and oddly accurate about the intensity around grooming, travel, and competition-day nerves. That’s why the tribute landed as more than celebrity fan service. It also read as a tip of the hat to an audience that has carried that movie for decades as part of its own culture.

This year’s show was already drawing attention for its milestone status and for its winner: Penny, a 4-year-old Doberman pinscher, took Best in Show on Tuesday night (ET) after beating a field of more than 2,500 dogs. Against that backdrop, the O’Hara tribute stood out precisely because it wasn’t about results—it was about the shared mythology of the sport.

What comes next for the fan wave

The immediate burst of quotes and memorials is likely to settle into something longer-lasting: themed rewatches, charity tie-ins in O’Hara’s name, and renewed interest in the roles that connect her to different audiences. The dog-show world tends to memorialize with tradition—moments of silence, dedications, and tributes tied to the ring—while comedy fandom memorializes with repetition, rewatching, and quotes that keep a voice “alive” in daily language.

In the near term, expect two parallel trends: a spike in viewership for O’Hara’s most-cited projects and a continuing stream of tributes from performers who worked alongside her, many of them framed not as career retrospectives but as personal “thank you” notes. Westminster’s tribute didn’t try to be grand. That restraint may be exactly why it traveled so far.

Sources consulted: People, The Guardian, Yahoo Entertainment, Vulture