Pop Culture

Woody Harrelson Says He Has ‘Definite Confirmation’ His Dad and Matthew McConaughey’s Mom Hooked Up

The two actors took their long-running family theory to Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast while promoting their new Apple TV comedy "Brothers."

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey attend the global premiere of the upcoming Apple TV series “Brothers."
Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV via Getty

Key Takeaways

  • Woody Harrelson told Travis and Jason Kelce on the ‘New Heights Show’ that he has "definite confirmation" his father and Matthew McConaughey's mother once had a sexual relationship.
  • The rumor traces back to McConaughey's mother, Kay, telling Harrelson she "knew" his father, Charles Harrelson, a convicted assassin, and McConaughey has never taken a genetic test to confirm or deny the relation.
  • The two actors turned the long-running theory into the Apple TV+ comedy ‘Brothers,’ which premiered Wednesday and prompted their joint appearance on the Kelces' podcast.

Woody Harrelson is now claiming he has “definite confirmation” that his father and Matthew McConaughey’s mother hooked up back in the day.

During their joint appearance on the New Heights Show, Harrelson revisited a story that he has told before about McConaughey’s mother Kay, who was a few drinks deep, suggesting she knew the actor’s father.

“She says, ‘I knew your father…,” Harrelson said. “Now, that’s only four words, right? But, think about this, that ellipses is more than three dots. It’s like five dots.”

“We had six-year-olds there that they even knew that that innuendo meant they shagged,” McConaughey added.

“I’ve got definite confirmation that they were, you know, bumpin’ uglies,” Harrelson chimed in, much to McConaughey’s surprise.

It was never revealed how Harrelson managed to attain “definite confirmation.”

Harrelson previously told this exact story to Variety while attending the Sarajevo Film Festival last month without McConaughey present. The 65-year-old actor was taken aback by Kay’s comment, considering this was the first time that he’s heard her come out with that confession in the 25 years they have known each other.

Harrelson has been adamant for quite some time that he and McConaughey could be related. The actor jokingly implied in a 2023 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that they want take a DNA test, but the findings could be a “much more big deal” for McConaughey, who believes he could wind up losing a father.

“But I’m like, no, you’re gaining a different father and a brother,” he said.

Harrelson and McConaughey have turned all these years of theorizing if these two could be related into the Apple TV comedy series Brothers, which premiered on Wednesday.

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