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![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/igvofficial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-2026-09-02T132822.530.png\")
Published: 12:57 02 September 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have one of\u00a0Hollywood\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0most famous friendships \u2013 but there could be a surprising reason the pair have always felt more like family.<\/strong><\/p>\n Talk of a Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson DNA test has followed the\u00a0film<\/a>\u00a0stars for years after they discovered there was a genuine possibility they could be biological half-brothers.<\/p>\n The longtime friends have known each other for almost three decades, worked together on several major projects and become so close that their respective families have effectively merged.<\/p>\n Over the years, fans have also repeatedly pointed out just how similar McConaughey and Harrelson can look.<\/p>\n But what started as a running joke about their resemblance suddenly became much more serious following an extraordinary conversation involving McConaughey\u2019s mom.<\/p>\n It eventually led to the actors discussing taking a DNA test to find out once and for all whether their connection goes far beyond friendship.<\/p>\n And now, with the pair starring together in a brand-new series inspired by the strange real-life mystery, speculation over whether Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are actually brothers has resurfaced once again.<\/p>\n McConaughey, 56, and Harrelson, 65, first became friends while working together on the 1999\u00a0US<\/a>\u00a0comedy movie\u00a0EDtv<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rather fittingly given everything that would later emerge, they actually played brothers Ed and Ray Pekurny in the movie.<\/p>\n Their friendship continued away from the cameras, with the pair vacationing together and their families becoming increasingly close.<\/p>\n They later appeared together in\u00a0Surfer, Dude<\/em>\u00a0before famously reuniting for the acclaimed first season of HBO\u2019s\u00a0True Detective<\/em>\u00a0in 2014, playing detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart.<\/p>\n Harrelson said earlier this year that he has known McConaughey since 1997 and described loving his longtime friend \u2018like a brother.\u2019<\/p>\n Harrelson told\u00a0PEOPLE<\/em><\/a>\u00a0earlier this year: \u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of fun together\u2026 I love him like a brother, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Their relationship is so close that McConaughey\u2019s children call Harrelson \u2018Uncle Woody,\u2019 while Harrelson\u2019s children call him \u2018Uncle Matthew.\u2019<\/p>\n Even their respective families have apparently struggled to tell the pair apart in photographs.<\/p>\n McConaughey previously explained that relatives on his side have mistaken photos of Harrelson for him, while Harrelson\u2019s family have done exactly the same thing in reverse.<\/p>\n For years, those similarities were simply another amusing part of their friendship.<\/p>\n Then one conversation\u00a0changed everything<\/a>.<\/p>\n The possibility that McConaughey and Harrelson could genuinely be related has been discussed publicly for several years.<\/p>\n And Harrelson has made it clear that he is open to finding out.<\/p>\n During a 2023 appearance on\u00a0The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em>, the\u00a0Cheers<\/em>\u00a0star confirmed that he wanted the pair to undergo DNA testing and said there appeared to be some truth behind the theory.<\/p>\n![\"Ezoic\"](\"https:\/\/go.ezodn.com\/utilcave_com\/ezoic.png\" "\\"ezoic\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\nMatthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have been close for decades<\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\nWoody Harrelson wants them to take a DNA test<\/h2>\n