Several years ago, Matthew McConaughey’s mom, Kay “MaMac” McConaughey, drunkenly revealed that she’d hooked up with Woody Harrelson’s hit-man father during her second divorce from the late Jim McConaughey. According to Kay, their liaison was around the time of Matthew’s conception.
Matthew and Woody turned their messy situation into a meta-comedy series. Brothers premieres on Apple TV+ on September 23. It’s a wild story about two friends who met while playing brothers on EdTV and have since become lifelong bros. Matthew and Woody play themselves, Holland Taylor plays MaMac, and Natalie Martinez plays Valentina, who is based on Camila Alves. For years, people have been asking MM and Woody if they plan on getting a DNA test. Woody has always been all for it, but Matthew has always been hesitant. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Matthew explained why he refuses to get one. From the NYT:
“I’d love it if he was my brother, honestly,” the 65-year-old Harrelson said, with that same easy gaptoothed grin that charmed audiences when he played a bartender in “Cheers.”
McConaughey pushed back. “I’m not doing a DNA test,” the 56-year-old said firmly.
Harrelson pressed on: “I would do it because I know it’s true.”
McConaughey disagreed, arguing that his mother, a flamboyant Steel Magnolia named Kay McConaughey and known as MaMac, was just stirring things up.
McConaughey is hesitant to definitively answer the question because he feels that if they actually were brothers, it’s like saying, “Oh, your dad’s not your dad that you thought your dad was for 50 years.” He turned to Harrelson and said: “For you, it’s easy. You gain a brother.”
Harrelson shot back, “You gain a father, just different from what you had in mind.”
I asked McConaughey if his reluctance stems from the fact that Harrelson’s father was a convicted contract killer — charming and ice-cold — who died in prison.
McConaughey, who played a hit man in the movie “Killer Joe” shook his head.
“No, I don’t really care about that,” he said.
Harrelson dryly interjected, “He’s thinking to himself, ‘Everybody has to make a living.’”
The NYT piece has more details about Kay’s revelation, including that she spilled the beans in front of both of their kids. Woody also retells an older MaMac story about how Big Jim didn’t want to take her to the hospital when Matthew was born because he didn’t think he was his kid. When asked for a comment, she said, “I cannot tell him anything more than what I already have told him. I had a little incident with [Woody’s] father. They seem like brothers, yes, they do.”
I get Matthew’s reasoning for not wanting to take a DNA test and believe him when he says it’s about his own identity. It’s a lot to process. He could also be protecting his own children from potentially being known as a hitman’s grandchildren. That said, he’s put up with Kay’s antics for his entire life, so I also suspect he truly believes she’s full of sh-t with this claim. He and Woody also know that the “maybe brothers” storyline is now a huge part of their appeal. The lure even got them a TV series. The best way to ruin a good mystery is by giving it an unsatisfying reveal.
Photos via Apple TV+ press
