Matthew McConaughey says he and Woody Harrelson might actually be brothers because his mother 'knew' Harrelson's father when they were younger

• Matthew McConaughey said he and longtime friend Woody Harrelson might be brothers.
• The actor said his mother "knew" Harrelson's father when they were younger.

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson once played partners-in-crime in the critically acclaimed drama "True Detective," but they might, in fact, be related, according to McConaughey.

The star appeared on Kelly Ripa's "Let's Talk Off Camera" SiriusXM podcast on Wednesday to talk about his life and hugely successful career, even recalling what it was like being on a plane that dropped 4,000 feet last month.

McConaughey and Harrelson will next star in the Apple TV+ series "Brother From Another Mother," but he said they might actually be brothers in real life.

The "Dallas Buyers Club" and "The Gentlemen" star told Ripa: "You know, where I start and where he ends, and where he starts and where I end, has always been like a murky line. And that's part of our bromance, right?"

The star went on to say that even their families get the pair mixed up in old photos.

McConaughey added: "My kids call him Uncle Woody. His kids call me Uncle Matthew. And you see pictures of us and my family thinks a lot of pictures of him are me. His family thinks a lot of pictures of me are him."

The actor then said that his mother told the whole family that she "knew" Harrelson's father years ago.

"In Greece a few years ago, we're sitting around talking about how close we are and our families. 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," McConaughey recalled.

"We went on to unpack what this 'knew' meant and did some math and found out that his dad was on furlough at the same time that my mom and dad were in their second divorce. Then there's possible receipts and places out in West Texas where there might have been a gathering, or a meeting, or a 'knew' moment."

But the actor said that he's reluctant to take a DNA test because it would drastically change what he knows about his life.

McConaughey explained: "This is what we're on the precipice of now. 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? 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."