Woody Harrelson teases new show with Matthew McConaughey will address brother rumor

Woody Harrelson has offered new details about his upcoming series Brothers with longtime friend Matthew McConaughey, teasing that the project will directly explore the long-running rumor that the two Hollywood stars may be biologically related.

Speaking in a recent interview with Deadline, Harrelson revealed that the upcoming show will see both actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves in a semi-improvised format.

“I did do another show with Matthew that’s coming out this fall,” Harrelson said. “We play ourselves, and it's fiction, like Curb Your Enthusiasm in a way. We play ourselves, but everything's fictionalized.”

The series, titled Brothers, reportedly begins with Harrelson arriving in Texas to spend time with McConaughey, setting the stage for a storyline that unfolds on the actor’s ranch.

“And I bring my bus. And once the bus is inside the gates of his ranch, it's not going to go anywhere,” Harrelson explained. “That was the concept, and that's what we've done for the first eight episodes.”

Harrelson also confirmed that the long-circulating rumor about a possible family connection between the two actors will be addressed in the show.

“When asked if it would factor in, he said: ‘That’s going to factor in. Yeah, that’s definitely going to factor in.’”

The pair have shared a decades-long friendship, first starring together in EDtv (1999) and later in Surfer, Dude (2008), with their off-screen bond becoming a recurring topic in Hollywood.

Harrelson said he has known McConaughey since the late 1990s and described their relationship as deeply close.

“I’ve known him since ’97. We’ve had a lot of fun together… I love him like a brother, for sure,” he said.

The speculation around their possible biological connection gained attention in 2023, when McConaughey himself acknowledged the rumor during a television appearance. Harrelson later recounted an unusual conversation involving McConaughey’s mother, which sparked further curiosity among fans.

However, McConaughey has previously expressed hesitation about taking a DNA test, suggesting the answer could complicate his understanding of his family history.

While both actors have joked about the theory over the years, Brothers appears set to turn the long-running speculation into a central narrative thread when it premieres later this year.