Matthew McConaughey’s mum adds more fuel to possibility Woody Harrelson is his brother

Matthew McConaughey’s mum once had a crazy take on the whole Woody Harrelson is his brother thing.

The two celebrated actors have been friends since they first met professionally on the set of EDtv, a 1999 comedy film directed by Ron Howard.

It was a satirical look at early reality TV series - way before the likes of Big Brother and Keeping Up With the Kardashians took over.

Harrelson starred as Ray Pekurny, the older brother of McConaughey's character Ed Pekurny.

The pair also featured in non-related roles in season one of an anthology series with a new cast every season called True Detective in 2014.

Earlier this year, however, Deadline reported that an upcoming Apple TV+ comedy series tentatively titled Brothers is in the works.

It's apparently going to be a comedy loosely inspired by their real-life friendship and the ongoing joke that they might actually be biological brothers.

Matthew McConaughey’s mum had her say on the whole brother thing (Universal/Getty Images)

But it turns out the whole 'brother theory' happened a few years ago with their families becoming so close that McConaughey said 'my kids call him Uncle Woody. His kids call me Uncle Matthew'.

And so the Interstellar actor revealed on the Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa podcast in 2023 that his mum dropped a bit of a bombshell when they were on holiday together.

"In Greece a few years ago, we’re sitting around talking about how close we are and our families," he said.

"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 added: "And that’s part of our bromance, right? My kids call him Uncle Woody. His kids call me Uncle Matthew etc etc.

They aren't actually brothers, as far as we know (Mark Davis/NBC/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

"And 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."

McConaughey said he found out that Harrelson's dad had been on furlough at the same time that McConaughey's mum and dad were in their second divorce (they got married three times).

The Now You See Me actor said: "The year of [McConaughey's] birth, nine months before, she was on a sabbatical from her relationship with his supposed father, Jim."

"Then there’s possible receipts and places out in West Texas where there might have been a gathering, or a meeting, or a ‘knew’ moment," McConaughey added.

The pair have previously spoken about doing DNA tests but for one reason or another haven't gone through with one.

The pair are reportedly set to star in a series together next year (Gary Miller/FilmMagic)

Harrelson's father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was shockingly a convicted contract killer, who murdered US District Judge John H. Wood Jr in 1979 - said to be first assassination of a federal judge in 20th-century America.

Harrelson received two life sentences and remained in prison until his death in 2007.

(Texas State Historical Association)

Previously speaking to The Guardian, the actor said he was '11 or 12' when he heard on the radio that his dad was on trial for the murder.

"I was in the car waiting for a lady who was picking me up from school, helping my mum, and anyway I was listening to the radio and it was talking about Charles V Harrelson and his trial for murder and blah blah blah blah and I’m sitting there thinking there can’t be another Charles V Harrelson," he said.

"I mean, that’s my dad! It was a wild realisation. Then the woman got in the car and saw my face and realised something was up. She was a very kind lady."