Matthew McConaughey isn’t ruling out that his decades-long friendship with Woody Harrelson could be a family affair after all.
The actor marked his Cheers co-star’s 65th birthday on Thursday with an Instagram post captioned “from another mother? Happy birthday bro,” alongside an old photo of the couple kissing.
The timing is no coincidence.
McConaughey and Harrelson star in a new Apple TV+ comedy called Brothersplaying fictional versions of themselves whose lifelong bond is shaken when they stumble upon a long-buried secret suggesting they might actually be biological siblings.
The eight-episode series will premiere on September 23.
According to VarietyActual speculation began years ago when McConaughey’s mother told Harrelson she knew his father, hinting at a past connection in West Texas.
McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Harrelson in Midland, towns approximately 279 miles apart.
Both men reportedly understood that Harrelson’s father may have been on leave at the time McConaughey’s parents were going through their second divorce.
Harrelson’s father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, was a hit man sentenced to life in prison for the 1979 murder of a judge; Harrelson had little contact with him growing up after abandoning the family, although he later reconnected and visited him in prison until his death in 2007.
Neither actor took a DNA test to confirm any biological connection, and Harrelson reportedly hesitated to dig deeper, fearing it would disrupt his understanding of the father who actually raised him.
This real-world uncertainty became the inspiration for Brotherswhich the duo also produces.
By The Hollywood ReporterIn the synopsis of, the series begins when Woody’s daughter’s marriage collapses and he brings his family to Matthew’s ranch in Austin for what is supposed to be a healing getaway, until Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac (played by Holland Taylor), accidentally reveals the long-buried secret.
As Woody attempts to uncover the truth, Matthew simultaneously struggles with a very different identity crisis: a possible run for governor of Texas.
The series also stars Natalie Martinez, Brittany Ishibashi, Nolan Almeida, Ella Grace Helton, Noah Carganilla, Highdee Kuan and Oona Yaffe.
Both stars’ families have long treated each other as extended relatives, regardless of DNA results.
Harrelson has been married to Laura Louie since 2008, with whom he shares three daughters, while McConaughey has been married to Camila Alves since 2012 and has three children.
Speaking on Kelly Ripa Let’s talk off camera podcast in 2023, McConaughey summed up how blurry families have become, joking: “My kids call him Uncle Woody, his kids call me Uncle Matthew.”
He added that relatives of both camps often mix up photos of the two men, mistaking one for the other.
