Are Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson brothers or is it a stunt?
Family ties or total farce? As Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey say they could be ‘brothers’, FEMAIL lays bare their heritage to see if there’s ANY truth to claims… or if it’s just a STUNT to promote their show about a ‘brother from another mother’
- Matthew, 53, recently revealed that he and Woody, 61, may be brothers
- He said his mom had a fling with Woody’s dad nine months before he was born
- FEMAIL investigated the actors’ family history to determine if its possible
Finding out you’re secretly siblings with your best friend seems like a plot twist straight out of a movie – which is why when Matthew McConaughey, 53, revealed that he and his bestie Woody Harrelson, 61, might actually be brothers, it seemed too good to be true.
The actor revealed earlier this week that he recently discovered that his mom and Woody’s dad got friendly with one another nine months before he was born, making the two stars believe that they might secretly be related.
As epic as that would be, some people are raising their eyebrows over the legitimacy of Matthew’s claims – especially because the shock revelation comes suspiciously timed to the announcement of their upcoming series together, called Brother From Another Mother.
The show, which doesn’t have a release date yet but is being helmed by AppleTV+, will focus on Matthew and Woody’s ‘bond’ as they ‘take it to the next level’ by moving in together, with both of their respective families, on a ranch in Texas.
Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he and his bestie Woody Harrelson might actually be brothers – but is it a publicity stunt to gain traction for their upcoming series?
The actor revealed earlier this week that he recently discovered that his mom (left) and Woody’s dad (right) got friendly with one another nine months before he was born
As epic as it would be if they were siblings, some people are raising their eyebrows over the legitimacy of Matthew’s claims. Seen above is both of their family trees
FEMAIL launched a major investigation into where the two stars came from to determine if it was even possible for their parents to get together. A map of where they grew up is seen
Certainly, the discovery that the two stars are siblings would be a perfect twist to their story, and the news would cause quite a buzz surrounding the show. In fact, it already has.
Matthew’s announcement – which was made just weeks after the news of their new series first hit the web – resulted in a slew of media coverage and a whirlwind of social media posts.
But as the world continues to freak over the possibility of them being related, FEMAIL decided to launch a major investigation into where the two stars came from, as well as their family history, to determine if it was even possible for their parents to get together and to figure out how likely it really is that they’re long lost brothers.
So are the two stars actually family members or all is all a massive publicity stunt to gain traction for their new series? Here’s what you need to know.
The logistics: Woody’s mom and Matthew’s dad DID both live in Texas and went through divorces – but the actors grew up nearly 300 miles from one another
Woody was born on July 23, 1961, while Matthew came into the world eight years later, on November 4, 1969. Matthew is seen as a baby
The two both grew up in Texas 275 miles away from each other – Woody (seen left as a teen) spent his childhood in Midland, while Matthew (seen right as a teen) lived in Uvalde
Woody was raised by a single mother named Diane Oswald, and his dad, Charles Harrelson, left the pictured when he was young. He is seen with his mom in 1992
Woody was born on July 23, 1961, while Matthew came into the world eight years later, on November 4, 1969.
His dad, Charles (seen) was later sentenced to life in prison for killing a federal judge in 1979
The two both grew up in Texas about 275 miles away from each other – Woody spent his childhood in Midland, Texas, while Matthew lived in Uvalde, Texas.
Woody was raised by a single mother named Diane Oswald, and his dad, Charles Harrelson, left the pictured when he was young. Charles was later sentenced to life in prison for killing a federal judge in 1979.
Matthew hailed from a former kindergarten teacher and writer named Mary ‘Kay’ McConaughey and a businessman who ran an oil pipe supply company and previous NFL star named James ‘Jim’ McConaughey.
Matthew’s parents split up and got back together multiple times during his childhood, divorcing twice but ultimately remarrying each time.
While they did end up together in the end, it’s certainly possible that Matthew’s mom had a fling with Woody’s dad like he claimed, since there were numerous breaks in her marriage to Jim.
However, the large distance between where they both lived makes the chances of their paths crossing slim. But of course, anything is possible.
Matthew hailed from a kindergarten teacher and writer named Mary ‘Kay’ McConaughey (left) and a businessman and former NFL star named James ‘Jim’ McConaughey (right)
Matthew’s parents split up and got back together multiple times, which means it’s possible that his mom (seen with Matthew and his siblings) had a fling with Woody’s dad
During an appearance on Kelly Ripa’s podcast last week, Matthew (left) made the surprising announcement while discussing how similar he and Woody (right) looked as kids
During an appearance on Kelly Ripa’s podcast last week, Matthew made the surprising announcement while discussing how similar he and Woody looked when they were kids.
‘You see pictures of us and my family thinks a lot of pictures of him are me. His family thinks a lot of pictures of me are him,’ he said.
‘In Greece a few years ago, we’re sitting around talking about how close we are and [how close] our families are and my mom is there, and she says, “Woody, I knew your dad.”‘ Matthew explained that they then did the math, and figured out that his mom and Woody’s dad hung out nine months before he was born, during one of his parents’ separations
‘In Greece a few years ago, we’re sitting around talking about how close we are and [how close] our families are and my mom is there, and she says, “Woody, I knew your dad.”‘
‘Everyone was aware of the ellipses that my mom left after “knew.” It was a loaded K-N-E-W,’ he continued, hinting that she meant they had a fling.
Matthew explained that they then did the math, and figured out that his mom and Woody’s dad hung out nine months before he was born, during one of his parents’ separations.
He did not divulge how his mom and Woody’s dad first met, but he said there were ‘possible receipts’ that they had a few ‘gatherings’ in ‘West Texas’ before he was born.
In 1973, when Woody was 13, he, his two brothers, and his mother moved to Lebanon, Ohio, where he lived until college.
He then headed to Hanover, Indiana, to attend Hanover College, before moving to LA to pursue his career as an actor.
As for Matthew, he and his family relocated in 1980, when he was 11, heading to Longview, Texas, before they moved to Australia eight years later.
For college, he headed back to his home state, attending the University of Texas at Austin, before he moved to California to try to break into Hollywood.
Their dream to be siblings: Matthew and Woody have had a strong bond since they first met in 1998, going on vacation together and hanging out with each other’s families – and started calling each other ‘brothers’ years before Matthew’s revelation
The two actors’ first met on set of the 1998 movie Welcome to Hollywood, and they also both starred in the satirical comedy film EDtv (seen) one year later
Since then, they have both appeared in a slew of movies and TV shows together, like Surfer, Dude (left) in 2008 and the HBO crime series True Detective (right) in 2014
They have certainly formed a strong bond over the years, and they’ve now been friends for more than two decades
The stars have jetted off on numerous vacations together, and they are even tight with each other’s family at this point. Matthew called Woody his ‘brother from another mother’ in 2019
The two actors’ first met on set of the 1998 movie Welcome to Hollywood, and they also both starred in the satirical comedy film EDtv one year later.
Since then, they have both appeared in a slew of movies and TV shows together, like Surfer, Dude in 2008 and the HBO crime series True Detective in 2014.
And when Matthew’s daughter Vida celebrated her thirteenth birthday in January, Woody was at her party. In a post shared by Matthew’s wife, Camila Alves, she called him ‘Uncle Woody’
They have certainly formed a strong bond over the years, and they’ve now been friends for more than two decades.
The two stars have jetted off on numerous vacations together, and they are even tight with each other’s family at this point.
When Matthew’s daughter Vida celebrated her thirteenth birthday in January, Woody was there at her party.
In a post shared by Matthew’s wife, Camila Alves, from the birthday bash, the Hunger Games star was seen standing right behind Vida as she blew out the candles on her cake.
‘Uncle @WoodyHarrelson is questioning if the cake is vegan or not,’ she wrote in the caption.
It seems like Woody and Matthew have dreamed about being related for a long time. On top of Camila referring to Woody as her daughter’s ‘uncle,’ Matthew also called Woody his ‘brother from another mother’ in an Instagram post shared long before they spoke about their parents alleged connection.
Back in 2019, the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star shared a snap of himself and Woody posing together in the ocean, which he captioned, ‘Brothers from ‘nother mother.’
Suspicious timing: Matthew and Woody are gearing up to star in a new AppleTV+ show about a ‘brother from another mother’… so is this all a publicity stunt to promote the series?
Last month, it was announced that Woody and Matthew would be working together again, this time on a comedy series for AppleTV+. They are seen together in 2008
Created by David West Read, the two stars are set to play fictional versions of themselves in the 10-episode show, called Brother From Another Mother
Last month, it was announced that Woody and Matthew would be working together again, this time on a comedy series for AppleTV+.
Created by David West Read, the two stars are set to play fictional versions of themselves in the 10-episode show, called Brother From Another Mother.
The series will document the two stars and their families as they attempt to live together on an estate in Texas
The series will document the two stars and their families as they attempt to live together on an estate in Texas.
‘It’s a heartfelt odd couple love story revolving around the strange and beautiful bond between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson,’ a description reads.
So is this all a ploy to promote the series or are these two really siblings?
Unfortunately, only a DNA test will give us a definitive answer – and Woody admitted during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this week that he wants to do one so that they can know the truth once and for all.
However, he admitted that Matthew was hesitant because it could mean that the man he thought was his father all these years wasn’t actually his biological dad.
‘We want to go and test. But for [Matthew], it’s a much more big deal. I mean, he feels like he’s losing a father,’ he explained. ‘But I’m like, no you’re gaining a different father and a brother.’
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