Matthew McConaughey recalls his mom’s shocking confession about Woody Harrelson’s father, and it sparked a family mystery that won’t go away

Matthew McConaughey shared new details about the rumor that he and Woody Harrelson might be brothers. He recently appeared on Harrelson and Ted Danson’s podcast and talked about the moment his mom started this family mystery.

According to Unilad, the story began about eight years ago when their families were on vacation in Greece. McConaughey explained that their kids already thought they were brothers because of how close they act. During the trip, the kids showed everyone an old high school photo of McConaughey, and everyone thought it was Harrelson.

Then McConaughey’s mom, Mary McCabe, made a shocking statement. “All of a sudden, out of nowhere, my mom, who was probably on her third glass of Kendall-Jackson, goes, ‘Oh Woody, I knew… your father’,” McConaughey recalled. That pause was enough to make everyone understand what she meant. McConaughey said that “from that night on, this mystery has started.”

The evidence pointing to a possible family connection keeps growing

This isn’t the first time they’ve talked about this possibility. Harrelson claimed in 2023 that he had “proof” they might be related. The main theory is that McConaughey’s mom had a brief relationship with Harrelson’s father around the time McConaughey was conceived.

There’s also a claim that McConaughey’s supposed father refused to visit his mother at the hospital, allegedly telling her, “That ain’t my son.” If that’s true, it supports the idea that another man, possibly Harrelson’s dad, was involved. Like other celebrities, Hollywood stars sometimes face awkward encounters that create lasting tension.

The two actors have talked about taking a DNA test to find out for sure. However, McConaughey admitted he’s less interested in getting a definitive answer than Harrelson is. Harrelson sees this as gaining a younger brother. But for McConaughey, learning the truth means possibly losing the man he always thought was his dad. That’s a big emotional burden, and it makes sense why he’d be hesitant to confirm something that would change his family history forever.

The two are turning this real-life situation into a new TV series for AppleTV+ called Brothers. It’s a comedy about their friendship being tested when their fictional families move in together on McConaughey’s Texas ranch. 

They’ll star as themselves, but actors will play their families. Holland Taylor, Natalie Martinez, and Brittany Ishibashi are joining the cast. There’s no release date yet, but the show should be worth watching when it arrives. The series will likely avoid the type of controversial content comedians sometimes cut from awards shows.