Matthew McConaughey is refusing to take a DNA test that could settle years of speculation about whether he and Woody Harrelson share the same father.
The two Hollywood stars, who have been close friends for nearly three decades, have fielded persistent rumors since McConaughey’s mother, Kay, told Harrelson she knew his father, Charles Harrelson, around the time McConaughey was conceived. McConaughey, 55, and Harrelson, 63, addressed the speculation in a conversation with Rolling Stone tied to their upcoming Apple TV+ comedy series “Brothers,” in which they play fictionalized versions of themselves.
“He won’t take the test,” Harrelson told the outlet.
McConaughey explained his reluctance by pointing to the emotional weight of either outcome. “If we do the test and, say it’s true (which it’s not) then I’ve got to unpack 56 years of who I thought my dad was,” he said. The “Dallas Buyers Club” star also identified what he called the “worst-case scenario”: that the test would prove negative. He claimed his friends would be “horrible to be around” if that happened.
Harrelson backed up that assessment, admitting he would be “depressed for a while” if the results came back false. He called the entire proposition a “lose-lose situation.”
Despite McConaughey’s resistance, Harrelson has been pushing for the test for some time. In a March 2025 interview with Radio X, host Johnny Vaughan asked whether the two had investigated their possible biological connection. Harrelson confirmed they had not yet done so but told the host they were “probably going to do that,” He added: “I think there’s a real possibility.”
The pair first met in 1997 on the set of the comedy film “EDtv,” where they were cast as brothers. They immediately clicked and went on to collaborate on multiple projects including HBO’s “True Detective,” “Surfer, Dude,” and other films. Their families grew close as well, with their children referring to both actors as “Uncle Woody” and “Uncle Matthew.”
Harrelson has noted that McConaughey is “more like his brothers in reality” than a typical friend, underscoring how the two have already embraced a fraternal bond regardless of biology.
The rumors gained traction after Kay McConaughey’s revelation about knowing Charles Harrelson, a convicted hitman who died in prison in 2007. The timing of their acquaintance coincided with the period when McConaughey was conceived, fueling speculation that has followed both actors for years.