Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 19:08 24 Sep 2024 GMT
Losing a parent is one of the most devastating experiences somebody can go through, and something a person never forgets.
But for Matthew McConaughey, the day his father passed away is unforgettable for a very different reason — one that’s both shocking and, in true McConaughey fashion, oddly humorous.
In his memoir, Greenlights, the Dallas Buyers Club star opened up about his parents' wild relationship, which he described as "like the Pacific Ocean in a storm".
In fact, McConaughey’s parents — Kay and James McConaughey — had a love story that involved divorcing twice and remarrying three times. But despite the drama, the actor insists their love always won out in the end, with passion never being an issue.
And passion is exactly how James McConaughey - known affectionately as "Big Jim" - predicted his own end would come.
Matthew revealed that his dad always told him and his brothers: “Boys, when I go, I’m gonna be makin’ love to your mother.” And in a bizarre twist of fate, that’s exactly what happened.
“I got a call from my mom: ‘Your dad died,’” McConaughey recalled in his book. “My knees buckled. I couldn’t believe it. He was my dad. Nobody or nothing could kill him.
"Except mom. He had a heart attack when he climaxed."
While that might already be enough for an unusual family story, McConaughey shared even more details in an interview on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. Turns out, there was another layer to the story that didn’t make it into his book.
When paramedics arrived at the house to take his father’s body, his mom, Kay, had a rather unique way of handling the situation.
“She wouldn’t let the paramedics cover him,” McConaughey shared, laughing. “She kept ripping the sheet off going, ‘Uh-uh, I want the world to see why his nickname was Big Jim. Don’t you cover him!’”
Yep, you read that right — ever the doting wife, Kay McConaughey made sure her late husband’s legendary nickname was well-known to the neighbors as they gathered outside, shocked by the scene.
"I found out later that when the ambulance came to get him at the house, obviously all the neighbors came out on the street," McConaughey revealed. "And they came and told me later that my mom, in her negligee nightie that she had woke up in, wouldn’t let the paramedics cover him."
It’s safe to say the neighbors won’t forget “Big Jim” anytime soon.
(I can only hope my wife does the exact opposite if I were to go in such a way.)
Kay herself has opened up about the incident, sharing on Red Table Talk in 2020: “My husband died making love to me. I remember saying, ‘What’s the matter, big boy? I wear you out?’” But when he didn’t respond, she realized something was wrong.
“His heart just stopped, you know? We had a party for him, kind of a celebration of his life.”
It seems like in true McConaughey style, even the darkest moments are met with a mix of humor, love, and — apparently — a little bit of nudity.
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celebrity1 min(s) read
Published 08:39 18 Oct 2020 GMT
Matthew McConaughey has revealed that his father died of a heart attack while having sex with his mom.
The 50-year-old actor reveals the startling story as part of his new memoirs, Greenlights, which is set to be released on October 20.
Watch McConaughey discuss his new memoirs and his childhood in the video below:
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Per Page Six, in preparation for the book's launch, the Dallas Buyers Club star has shared excerpts of his memoirs, with one recalling how Matthew's father, James McConaughey, passed away in 1992 while making love to the actor's mom, Jay.
He writes: "I got a call from my Mom. 'Your dad died.' My knees buckled. I couldn’t believe it. He was my dad. Nobody or nothing could kill him.
"Except mom."
The Academy Award-winner then reveals that James had always told Matthew and his brothers that he would die while in bed with their mom. As Matthew explains:
"He'd always told me and my brothers, 'Boys, when I go, I’m gonna be makin' love to your mother.' And that's what happened. He had a heart attack when he climaxed."
Promoting his new book as part of a cover story with People, McConaughey admits that his parents had a tumultuous relationship - marrying each other three separate times. But he says that all the bad times were "superseded by the love".
He said: "Look, they were, at times, violent. As I say in the book, that is how they communicated. They were divorced twice, married three times, I mean, yeah, it was like the Pacific Ocean in a storm, you know?
"But as I say in the book, those moments were so quickly - always, 100% of the time - so quickly superseded by the love and the humanity."
Speaking about his own marriage with his wife Camila, 37, McConaughey revealed that he cannot remember the last time he raised his voice, adding: "We have a love that we never question."
Matthew and model Camila Alves met in 2006 in a club in Los Angeles. They were married six years later in 2012, and now share three children together - Levi, 12, Vida, 10, and Livingston, eight.
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McConaughey told people that he has dreamed of being a father since he was a boy, saying: "I knew that's what I wanted to be.
"It was ahead of any dreams of a career or vocation or fame or wealth - it was being a father. Since I was eight years old, was the paramount of - if you can do that well, then you've really pulled something off. Then you've really succeeded in life."
celebrity2 min(s) read
Published 15:31 21 Oct 2020 GMT
Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he was "blackmailed" into having sex for the first time and that he was "molested by a man" when he was as a teenager.
The Academy Award-winning actor's revelations are featured in his new memoirs, titled Greenlights, which was released on Tuesday.
In excerpts of the new book, shared by the Metro, the 50-year-old actor writers: "I was blackmailed into having sex for the first time when I was 15. I was certain I was going to hell for the premarital sex.
"Today, I am merely certain that I hope that’s not the case."
The star then adds: "I was molested by a man when I was 18 while knocked unconscious in the back of a van."
However, despite detailing the shocking incidents, the Dallas Buyers Club actor writes: "I’ve never felt like a victim. I have a lot of proof that the world is conspiring to make me happy."
The Hollywood icon also recalls some of his bizarre experiences throughout his life.
"I’ve had seventy-eight stitches sewn into my forehead by a veterinarian. I’ve had four concussions from falling out of four trees, three of them on a full moon," he writes.
"I’ve bongoed naked until the cops arrested me. I resisted arrest. I applied to Duke, UT Austin, Southern Methodist, and Grambling for my college education. I got accepted to three out of the four."
Elsewhere in his memoirs, McConaughey opens up about his parents' turbulent relationship and revealed that his father, James McConaughey, died in 1992 while having sex with his mom.
The Interstellar star writes: "I got a call from my Mom. 'Your dad died.' My knees buckled. I couldn’t believe it. He was my dad. Nobody or nothing could kill him.
"Except mom."
The star then reveals that James had always told Matthew and his brothers that he would die while in bed with their mom. As Matthew explains:
"He'd always told me and my brothers, 'Boys, when I go, I’m gonna be makin' love to your mother.' And that's what happened. He had a heart attack when he climaxed."
Promoting his new book as part of a cover story with People, McConaughey admits that his parents had a tumultuous relationship - marrying each other three separate times. But he says that all the bad times were "superseded by the love".
He said: "Look, they were, at times, violent. As I say in the book, that is how they communicated. They were divorced twice, married three times, I mean, yeah, it was like the Pacific Ocean in a storm, you know?
"But as I say in the book, those moments were so quickly - always, 100% of the time - so quickly superseded by the love and the humanity."
Speaking about his own marriage with his wife Camila, 37, McConaughey revealed that he cannot remember the last time he raised his voice, adding: "We have a love that we never question."
celebrity4 min(s) read
Published 16:28 29 Sep 2025 GMT
Matthew McConaughey has admitted that he had to stop speaking to his own mother almost entirely for eight years for a heartbreaking reason.
Obviously, the Hollywood star didn’t like not talking to his mom, especially not for almost a decade, but it was something he felt he had to do.
In a recent interview, he revealed the reason why.
The problem was simple - when you have a famous son, or any kids really, you want to talk about them all the time, but sometimes that goes too far.
Eventually, things began to make their way into the press.
For Matthew, that was when he knew that he had to draw a line in the sand.
So, he stepped back from his relationship with his mother, and - although they have since reconciled - it took years for them to sort it out properly.
Of course, there are some other - let's say - bizarre stories about the McConaughey family life, and this is just one of them - from bee attacks to his father's manhood, it's all there.
Speaking about his mom, Kay - whose full name is Mary Kathleen McConaughey - the Dallas Buyers Club star told People: “We had about an eight-year period where I had to have short conversations with her on our Sunday phone calls because she was sharing a lot of that information,
“I’d tell her something on Sunday between son and mom, and Tuesday I’d read about it in the news or see it in the local paper.
“She couldn’t help herself.”
Kay herself has referred to that time as a ‘hiatus’ and it is now thankfully over.
In the end, it took Matthew to realise that it didn’t matter what his mom said.
He continued: “About eight years after that, I got stable enough with my own position and fame that I was like, ‘You know what? My mom can say whatever the hell she wants,
“It’s much more fun now... I’d say we’re closer now.”
In his new book Poems & Prayers, Matthew offered some advice from his marriage that he believes can help others.
In the form of a poem, he explained that he and his wife of 13 years Camila Alves are happier because they have a smaller bed in their house.
“The best thing you can / do for your / marriage,” the poem reads.
“One way to surely / get ahead, / is get rid of that / king-size mattress, / and sleep in a / queen-size bed.”
Explaining the thinking behind this revelation to Fox News Digital, he said: “We have kids and we go to our friend's house and he has one of these double king-size beds put together and all the kids sleep in the bed.
“The wife's on one side with her side table and the husband's on the other side and it's great when you got all three kids, but all of a sudden the kids get too big,
“They're out of the bed.”
“I wake up one morning … I'm looking over there and Camila's like a football field away man.
“Then you go to bed at night, like you want to snuggle up and … ‘Well, we’ve got to cover you up. Come about 12 feet and I'll come 12 feet.
“You're like, man, this damn king-size bed is not good for the marriage, man. Get rid of that son of a b****.
“So we got a queen size where we're shoulder to shoulder. I'm telling you, it's good for your marriage.”
celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 16:50 07 Mar 2023 GMT
You'd be forgiven if you thought you spotted Matthew McConaughey at Paris Fashion Week despite him not being in attendance - as his son took part and is the spitting image of his dad!
The actor's 14-year-old son Levi attended the prestigious fashion week with his mother Camila Alves and sister Vida, in what was a rare public outing for the family.
The third child of Matthew and his model wife Camila, 10-year-old Livingston, was not in attendance at the fashion event.
Arriving at Manège de l'Ecole Militaire ahead of the fall-winter 2023-24 presentation, Camila was turning heads but it was Levi that really got people talking due to the incredible resemblance he bears to his famous father.
Sharing a similar jaw structure and iconic medium-length curly hair, if Levi ever fancied taking to the big screen he could easily be cast as a younger version of his Oscar-winning dad.
Matthew burst onto the scene in his 20s in Dazed and Confused where he first uttered his famous phrase: "alright alright alright."
So if Levi were intending on following in his father's footsteps then he has a few years to hone his craft.
Ahead of their fashion show appearance, it seemed like Camila had a pretty rough ride earlier in the week as the airplane she was on encountered heavy turbulence during the flight.
The model was onboard Lufthansa Flight 469 which was flying 37,000 feet over Tennessee on Wednesday evening when the crew reported severe turbulence, as per the Daily Mail.
Taking to Instagram, she shared a short video that showed food and napkins on the floor of the plane, explaining: "On Flight last night, I was told plane dropped almost 4000 feet, 7 people went to the hospital, Everything was flying everywhere. To respect the privacy of those around me that’s all I am showing but the plane was a CHAOS And the turbulence keep on coming.
"The @lufthansa flight you are seeing on the news today!!!! Yes…that one. Thank God everyone was safe and ok. I must say everyone @marriottbonvoy by the airport of Washington where we had to divert to and spend the night was so kind!
"@officiallymcconaughey and I made it to the bar with 1 minute before closing…slept well, getting on new flight today, To the journey I continue… Karin Lacy was a savior with me until 1am working on new flights!!! [sic]"
Intending to land in Frankfurt before being diverted to Washington, the model eventually made it to Europe where she and her family attended Stella McCartney's show as she unveiled her latest womenswear collection.
Who knows, maybe we'll be seeing Levi on our screens sometime soon.
celebrity2 min(s) read
Published 11:39 07 Nov 2020 GMT
Matthew McConaughey has revealed why he chose not to go into detail after revealing how he was "molested by a man" when he was a teenager.
The Academy Award-winning actor's revelations are featured in his new memoirs, titled Greenlights, which was released last month.
In excerpts of the new book, shared by The Independent, the 50-year-old actor writes that he was "molested by a man when I was 18 while knocked unconscious in the back of a van."
In addition, McConaughey added: "I was blackmailed into having sex for the first time when I was 15. I was certain I was going to hell for the premarital sex.
"Today, I am merely certain that I hope that’s not the case."
Now, during an appearance on the Tamron Hall talk show, the Interstellar star revealed why he chose not to go into more detail regarding the abuse.
McConaughey said: "Ultimately, there’s nothing that I feel is constructive about the details.
"I feel like those details, unless I had a really good constructive way that I saw it that could be relatable to other people, I felt like those details could have just been grabbed and reported for voyeurism.
"They could’ve been the thing that every single show was going to go ‘Read about the details of when Matthew was molested,’ or ‘Read about when he got blackmailed,’ and that’s the wrong headline,”
"I write also in the book I’ve never felt like a victim.
"Those two events happened to me at 15 and 18. If they would’ve happened to me younger, maybe I would’ve been more confused.
"But when they happened to me, it was very clear to me, that they were wrong, that they were not ideal, that they were not how it’s supposed to be."
He added: "So I think having that clarity means that it’s probably why it didn’t stick with me and confuse me later on or left me having a non-realistic view of the way the world is supposed to work."
The actor also revealed how he wrote his memoirs while isolating in desert for 52 days, with no electricity, in order to write the memoir.
McConaughey added that the writing process was aided by the fact he has been keeping a diary for over 36 years.
Promoting his new book as part of a cover story with People, McConaughey admits that his parents had a tumultuous relationship - marrying each other three separate times. But he says that all the bad times were "superseded by the love".
He said: "Look, they were, at times, violent. As I say in the book, that is how they communicated. They were divorced twice, married three times, I mean, yeah, it was like the Pacific Ocean in a storm, you know?
"But as I say in the book, those moments were so quickly - always, 100% of the time - so quickly superseded by the love and the humanity."
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