Matthew McConaughey Forgave Mom after He Didn’t Talk to Her for 8 Years — He Moved to Be Closer to Her

• Matthew McConaughey could not trust and talk to his mom for eight years.

• His mother shared his secrets with strangers hoping that he would not find out.

• Years later, Matthew found the strength to forgive his parent and even moved for her sake.

Hollywood’s leading man Matthew McConaughey grew up in a “loving” home that also had a lot of violence. His parents were always at odds and became physical with each other.

Actor Matthew McConaughey got candid about his childhood in a sit-down interview with the “TODAY” host, Willie Geist, which he discussed in his memoir, “Greenlights.”

Actor Matthew McConaughey attends the premiere of “Sing 2” on December 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California ┃Source: Getty Images

He returned to his hometown, where he went through his childhood memories and found diaries he had kept since he was fourteen. Matthew then headed to a remote cabin to look through them and turned them into a book titled “Greenlights.” The book covers his life story.

When asked how he felt before looking through the diaries, the film star said he feared “embarrassment and shame,” which he eventually felt once he read through them.

However, what Matthew thought he would be embarrassed about made him laugh. The things the star thought he would be ashamed about, he found that he had forgiven himself.

Asked when he realized that he could share his life story with the world, Matthew said the more personal he got about telling his story, the more relatable it could be to readers.

“The Gentlemen” star grew up in Texas with two brothers. Matthew said he was raised in a loving home, but his childhood was unhappy. His parents, James McConaughey and Mary McCabe were violent toward each other and him as a child.

The Oscar Award winner penned in his book that although his mom and dad loved one another dearly, the environment they created was not good, which scared him:

“The love was real, but it was bloody sometimes but never in question.”

When asked whether he was well aware that his father was abusive, Matthew said: “I’m not in denial of it. My mom and dad were not in denial of it.”

Kay McConaughey poses on the red carpet before an Austin Film Society screening of “Bernie” at the Violet Crown Cinema on April 26, 2012 in Austin, Texas ┃Source: Getty Images

That said, he divulged that he is not raising his own kids “the same way my parents raised me.” Matthew revealed his mother read the book and told him what he wrote was accurate but that he could have at least written about the good times the family of four had.

He also disclosed that his parents were divorced two times and remarried three times. Matthew said they would have been divorced three times if their love for each other was not strong enough.

In an interview with the “TODAY” show host, Hoda Kotb, in November 2020, the “Dazed and Confused” star openly delved more into his parents’ tumultuous relationship.

Matthew said what went on in their household was not abuse, adding his mom would gladly admit that she was the one who started most of the fights and that his dad was trying to calm her down.

Sadly, Matthew’s father died from a heart attack in 1993. When Kotb asked what he lost when his dad passed away, he said:

“I lost my hero; I lost my crutch. I lost the man that I now today would love and dearly miss sharing a script with, talking about a character, ‘What do you think about this dad?’ Talking about films.”

Matthew Stopped Talking To His Mom for Nearly a Decade

When Matthew became a bona fide movie star, his mother made it her business to tell everything about him, including sharing private information with the press. That made them quarrel frequently.

She invited a TV crew into their family home, gave them a tour, and revealed that one of the rooms was where he lost his virginity.

Matthew spoke candidly about that period during his appearance on “The Stern Howard Show” in October 2020. He disclosed that he had stopped talking to his mom for eight years.

“The Lincoln Lawyer” star shared that after he became famous, he would call McCabe, telling her that there were all sorts of headlines about him. He found out that while on the call, one of his fans was also at the end of the line.

He would have conversations with his mom; days later, what they talked about would be on the papers. When Matthew told McCabe that what they discussed was private, she told him that she thought he would not mind.

However, he told her such actions could sink his career if she did not stop feeding information to the press. The last straw for Matthew was when he saw his mom giving the American tabloid television show “Hard Copy” a tour of their home and dishing out what he used to do as a teenager.

When he called her about it, she pretended not to know what he was referring to, but Matthew told her that he could hear the series playing out on national TV at the end of her line. McCabe said to her son:

“Oh, that. I didn’t think you’d find out.”

After that encounter, Matthew decided to share less with his mom about what was happening in his life because she “became a different person.”

Matthew Forgave His Mother

Regardless of the experience, the “Magic Mike” star said though his mother is “not perfect,” he forgave her after settling down at work. Matthew stated that he had to set “some boundaries” because they had a “strenuous relationship” during those eight years.

However, he has since given her the green light to talk to the media now that he has cemented his name in the history of show business. McCabe now has positive things to say about her son, who thinks she is doing a good job telling interesting stories about their family.

The mother of three told the “TODAY” show once that Matthew was raised to be “kind, thoughtful and honest.” She added that all her sons, including Rooster and Pat McConaughey, have grown up to be successful men and that she would not change anything about how she brought them up.

When asked what advice she could give, McCabe said she has “always been a positive thinker”; therefore, she would like others to be optimistic about life.

Meanwhile, in January 2017, ABC News reported that her youngest son Matthew had uprooted his wife and kids to Austin, Texas, to live closer to her.

The author, who shares three kids – Levi, Livingston, and Vida with his spouse, model Camila Alves – said it was “important” to his brood, wife, and mother to be near the family matriarch whom they see almost every weekend.

The father of three also has the chance to see the rest of the family, especially his brothers. Matthew said he “feels at home” living in Austin.

When Matthew appeared on the talk show, “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” in January 2022, he revealed that his mother had eventually moved in with them and had been living with him and his family for two years.

He shared that she enjoyed living with them and told him she would live there until she died. When McCabe turned 90, she celebrated her milestone with her sons.