Woody Harrelson has revealed how Matthew McConaughey's mother told him that she and Harrelson's father shared an intimate past relationship, suggesting the actors may be half-brothers.
Harrelson recalled the moment during an interview published on Aug. 21, 2026, by Variety, explaining that Mary Kathlene McConaughey made the revelation while drinking Kendall-Jackson wine.
Harrelson, who has known McConaughey's mother for more than 25 years, said she told him with distinct emphasis that she knew his father. "She told me, 'I knew your father,' like, you know, with the ellipses, 'I knew... your father,'" Harrelson said. "So, I'm thinking, 'Well, that's weird that she's never told me this [in] 25 years.'"
Harrelson gained fame on the television comedy Cheers, while McConaughey won an Academy Award and starred in films such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The two actors first met in the 1990s while working on the movie EDtv and later co-starred in the HBO drama True Detective.
Harrelson added that after inquiring further, he discovered "they weren't just friends, there was a little more to it." McConaughey previously spoke about the revelation in 2023 during an appearance on the Let's Talk Off Camera podcast with Kelly Ripa, noting there has always been a "murky line" in their connection.
McConaughey recounted that the conversation took place in Greece a few years ago during a discussion about their families. "In Greece a few years ago, we're sitting around talking about how close we are and our families," the Oscar winner 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."
The actors subsequently investigated the timeline of their parents' lives. "[We] did some math and found out that [Woody's] dad was on furlough at the same time that my mom and dad were in their second divorce," McConaughey explained, adding that there were possible receipts and meeting places in West Texas.
Addressing whether they would take a DNA test, McConaughey noted that while it is easy for Harrelson to suggest it, it is harder for him after believing his father was his biological parent for 53 years. "Look, it's a little easier for Woody to say, 'Come on, let's do [it],' because what's the skin in it for him?" McConaughey said. "It's a little harder for me because he's asking me to take a chance to go, 'Wait a minute, you're trying to tell me my dad may not be my dad after 53 years of believing that?' I got a little more skin in the game." The two stars are currently developing an upcoming television show titled Brothers, in which they will portray fictionalized versions of themselves.
Hollywood Family Links and Surprising Connections
Nancy Cartwright, who has voiced Bart on The Simpsons since the show premiered in 1989, revealed on a January 2026 episode of Toon'd In with Jim Cummings that she is the aunt of "Espresso" singer Sabrina Carpenter. Cartwright clarified that Carpenter is not a blood relative, explaining: "Her grandmother was married to my dad, so her dad was my stepbrother."
Cartwright played a pivotal role in Carpenter's early career, noting that Carpenter and her family stayed at her home for four months at a time during pilot season to secure management and an agent. "She certainly doesn't need my help. I gave her a little boost and she ran with it, and I'm very proud of her," the Emmy winner said.
On a 2024 episode of Finding Your Roots, host Henry Louis Gates Jr. revealed that Girls creator Lena Dunham shares a distant ancestor on her mother's side with Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David.
Genealogist Dr. Adina Newman, known on Instagram as My Family Genie, reported that Vanderpump Rules personality Stassi Schroeder and Gypsy Rose Blanchard are allegedly related on their paternal grandmother's side dating back to the 1600s. Schroeder, a self-professed true crime fan, responded to the post writing, "Omg I'm unwell."
Blended Families and Extended Relatives
The Mask of Zorro star Antonio Banderas was married to Fifty Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson's mother, Melanie Griffith, for 20 years before their split in 2015. Presenting an award to Banderas at the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards, Johnson, whose father is actor Don Johnson, described Banderas as a "bonus dad" who brought culture and creativity into her life starting when she was six years old. "When I was six years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light and a whole new world of creativity and culture and one remarkably magical little sister into our family," Johnson said.
TikTok creator Alix Earle and Today show anchor Dylan Dreyer are second cousins. During a May 2026 broadcast, Dreyer informed Earle that Earle's father, Thomas "TJ" Earle, is her first cousin from a family of seven siblings, noting that their annual Christmas card list includes around 100 people.
Teen Witch actress Robyn Lively and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively are half-sisters who share the same mother, talent manager Elaine Lively. "Ex's & Oh's" singer Elle King is the daughter of Saturday Night Live veteran Rob Schneider and former model London King. Fast & Furious actor Ludacris is a cousin of R&B singer Monica through her stepfather, Reverend Edward Best, who is the rapper's uncle.
Co-Stars, Comedians and Royal Descendants
Late-night host Conan O'Brien and Rescue Me actor Denis Leary are third cousins. Onetime Grey's Anatomy actress Jessica Capshaw has called director Steven Spielberg her stepdad since he married her mother, Kate Capshaw, in 1991. Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi calls rapper Nas her second cousin and served as the flower girl at his 2005 wedding to now ex-wife Kelis.
Actress Zoey Deutch is the daughter of Back to the Future icon Lea Thompson. Veep actress Sarah Sutherland is the real-life daughter of 24 star Kiefer Sutherland. Emily in Paris star Lily Collins is the daughter of English Grammy-winning musician Phil Collins.
Comedian Amy Schumer and New York Senator Chuck Schumer are related, as the senator is her father's first cousin. According to a 2014 People interview with an Ancestry.com family historian, actresses Dakota and Elle Fanning are 21st cousins of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, through their shared descent from King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377. Actors Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein are brother and sister.
Cast Members and Industry Dynasties
Reno 911! star Niecy Nash, Orange Is the New Black actress Danielle Brooks, and This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown are blood-related cousins. Nash confirmed their relationship in a January 2024 Instagram post from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Third Annual Fundraising Gala, writing: "We are blood related! REAL cousins!"
Saturday Night Live alumnus Jason Sudeikis is the nephew of Cheers icon George Wendt, whom he calls Uncle George. Game of Thrones actor Stephen Dillane, who played Stannis Baratheon, is the real-life father of Fear the Walking Dead actor Frank Dillane, who played Nick Clark. British singer Lily Allen and "Stay With Me" singer Sam Smith are third cousins, though Smith noted in a radio interview that they have never met because their family is huge.
Salt actor Liev Schreiber and Law & Order: SVU guest star Pablo Schreiber are half-brothers. Bridesmaids comedian Melissa McCarthy and former The View co-host Jenny McCarthy are cousins. Pretty Woman star Julia Roberts is the aunt of We're the Millers actress Emma Roberts.
Dancing With the Stars professional Lacey Schwimmer is a second cousin of Friends star David Schwimmer. True Blood actor Alexander Skarsgard is the son of Stellan Skarsgard, who stars in The Avengers and Thor franchises. The Coppola family boasts Ghost Rider actor Nicolas Cage, whose cousin Sofia Coppola directed The Bling Ring, cousin Jason Schwartzman starred in Saving Mr. Banks, and uncle Francis Ford Coppola directed The Godfather.
Lily Allen is also the older sister of Game of Thrones actor Alfie Allen, for whom she wrote the song "Alfie." Damages star Glenn Close and Lipstick Jungle actress Brooke Shields are second cousins. Terms of Endearment actress Shirley MacLaine originally inspired her younger brother Warren Beatty to enter show business.
