Opinion | Woody Harrelson believes Matthew McConaughey is his brother. If Madonna is related to Hillary Clinton anything is possible

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey will star in an upcoming comedy series for Apple TV titled “Brothers From Another Mother.”

But in real life, could they be … Brothers From the Same Father?

This is either an ingenious marketing stunt or a looming 23andMe drama that will play out on TMZ. Either way, the actors and BFFs believe they might actually be HS: half-siblings. Or as CNN put it on Thursday: “Woody Harrelson confirms Matthew McConaughey might be his brother.”

In recent days, McConaughey (on Kelly Ripa’s podcast) and Harrelson (on Stephen Colbert’s late night show) have shared their genealogical suspicions.

It all started when “Ma Mac,” McConaughey’s mother, made a cryptic comment to Harrelson. As he explained to Colbert on Tuesday: “It’s crazy. We were in Greece, we were watching the U.S. team win the World Cup and, you know, I mentioned something about regrets. And I said, ‘You know, it’s odd that my father has no regrets.’ And I have known Ma Mac a long time. And she goes, ‘I knew … your father.’ It was the ellipses I found a little troubling. Or interesting.”

Harrelson said McConaughey’s parents were on a break about nine months before Matthew was born. During that period, it seems Ma Mac had “meetings” with Pa Har. And? AND? Alas, Woody did not grill Ma Mac with any followup questions.

I don’t get it. If my mom suddenly confessed she and dad were separated nine months before I was born and, oh yeah, she “knew” the biological father of Dr. Sanjay Gupta and had “meetings” with him around then, the followup questions would fly.

Mom, were you intimate with him? Mom? Is Dr. Sanjay Gupta … my brother?

But the fact Woody and Matthew, who co-starred in “True Detective,” ceased to interrogate Ma Mac suggests they might be related. Come to think of it, they do have identical personalities. They are laid-back bordering on catatonic. Two celebrities most likely to stroll a red carpet while barefoot? Woody and Matthew. If their houses were on fire, neither would panic or run for safety. They’d casually wave away the smoke, recalibrate their chakras, grab a bowl of kale chips and drawl some gibberish about how the universe is a chimp on a unicycle trying to do wheelies in their subconscious.

Then they’d stroll toward the raging flames to spark up a doobie.

At one point, Colbert held up a photo of the two actors. They are in a body of water with only their heads above the surface. It was spooky. Noses, cheekbones, ears, eyes, crow’s feet, chins, jowl blueprints — these dudes look more alike than 99 per cent of all the siblings I have ever known. They are basically male Olsen twins.

Woody is now pushing for scientific proof. But Matthew is reluctant. As he told Ripa: “Look, it’s a little easier for Woody to say, ‘Come on, let’s do (testing),’ 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.”

Skin? You should be more concerned that your smiles are indistinguishable.

Again, why they are not seeking clarification from Ma Mac is a head-scratcher, especially since both fathers — or one father of both — have passed on. By the way, did you know Charles Harrelson was a hit man who assassinated a federal judge and later hinted at involvement in the JFK murder? That is the opposite of laid-back.

There’s been a lot of talk this year about so-called “nepo babies” in Hollywood. But the weirder story is the unknown ancestral links between those in the public eye. Us Weekly published a story this week about “stars you didn’t know were related.”

Al Roker shares a family tree with Lenny Kravitz? Now I’m imagining a weather forecast in the tune of “Mr. Cab Driver.” Bill Hader’s distant cousin is Carol Burnett? After appearing on PBS’s “Finding Your Roots,” Larry David discovered he is related to Bernie Sanders. A side-by-side photo analysis does not challenge this finding.

Other family ties seem more of a stretch. As Us reported: “Hillary Clinton and Madonna share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents.” I have no clue how lab calculations can cover nine generations.

But genetic testing is incredible. Just ask the Golden State Killer. Or my twin daughters. When they were born, doctors told us they were fraternal. That’s what we believed for 15 years. Then in the fall, my wife sent away for a genetic test. She unveiled the results one night after dinner, like our family was on a reality show executive produced by Jerry Springer.

As it turns out, my fraternal twins are identical.

It doesn’t really change anything. Well, I suppose if one child embraces a life of teen crime, there’s now an elevated nature-nurture risk both will soon be carjacking and holding up 7-Elevens. But it’s nice to confirm who they are in relation to one another.

Woody Harrelson’s kids already refer to McConaughey as “Uncle Matthew.” Matthew McConaughey’s kids already refer to Harrelson as “Uncle Woody.”

Both men deserve to know if this is truer than they once believed.

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