Matthew McConaughey’s Mom Hung up Phone When He Said He & Wife Were Expecting 1st Baby — Inside Their Tough Relationship

• Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey's relationship with his mother has faced some challenges.
• When McConaughey called her to announce that he and his wife were expecting their first baby, she hung up the phone.
• An incident that occurred in the past placed a strain on their relationship, and it took eight years for the mother and son to speak to each other again.

Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey, 54, is known worldwide for his prowess as an actor and the incredible career he has built in the entertainment industry. Aside from his professional life, Matthew is a loving husband to his beloved wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, 40, and a doting father of three: Levi, Livingston, and Vida McConaughey.

Before the "Interstellar" star became the big success he is today, he experienced challenging times when he was younger. As a child, Matthew was exposed to intense and volatile interactions between his parents.

While previously speaking about his memoir, "Greenlights," Matthew discussed some elements of his childhood. Of his memories and the stories he remembers from his past, the actor disclosed, "I tell these stories that are bloody and ugly and sometimes violent."

Such tales and recollections of the violent and ugly situations centered around what Matthew witnessed take place between his parents. At the beginning of his book, he details an incident at one family dinner where a physical altercation ensued between his parents, Kay and James McConaughey.

Kay had been giving her husband another serving of mashed potatoes when she started to hurl insults at him, facetiously pointing out his portly size. James, in response, then flipped the dining table so high Matthew writes that it reached the ceiling. James then approached Kay, who ran to the wall-mounted telephone to dial 911.

However, as James inched closer to his wife, she grabbed the end of the phone and struck a blow to his nose, breaking it instantly. The incident was far from over as Kay then proceeded to run back to the kitchen to grab a knife. Riddled with fear, Matthew, who was only five years old then, dashed to hide behind the couch.

In an unexpected turn of events, James and Kay dropped to their knees in an embrace and became intimate right on the kitchen floor. Though saddled with ugly fights that would sometimes turn violent, Matthew stated that, above all else, there was always love between his parents.

They conveyed it in their own ways, as Matthew explained, "They were from a different era, too. It was the era of if you were a kid and you asked, 'Why?' It was, 'Because I said so.'"

Regarding how James and Kay behaved when raising Matthew and his siblings, instilling discipline, life lessons, and tough love were the cornerstones of their parenting. When the "True Detective" talent was ten and got a fake Cracker Jack tattoo, he got whipped by his mom, and when he threatened to run away from home, Kay and James packed his bags for him.

He learned how to swim by being thrown into a river by his mom. All these tales may seem like harsh actions; however, according to Matthew, "The love was real. Bloody sometimes, but never in question."

It was this sense of love that saw Kay boast about her son becoming Little Mr. Texas, even though he was technically only the runner-up. Another mama bear move made by Kay was when she encouraged Matthew to plagiarize a poem for the poetry contest he entered in the fifth grade to better his chances of winning.

In an interview he did a couple of years ago, Matthew spoke about how Kay loved to visit him on sets, not because of her desire to see her son perform, but simply so she could find a way for her to, in some way, be a part of the production. According to Matthew, Kay's behavior of essentially wanting to have some control over her son's life has been consistent for years.

Matthew McConaughey's Strained Relationship with His Mom: She Hung up the Phone on Him Once

It was this behavior that went on to cause a strain between the mother and son, especially when Matthew's stardom was on the rise. Once Matthew became famous and established himself as a star in Tinseltown, Kay began sharing intimate secrets he would tell her with tabloids and outlets.

A specific incident that the "Dazed and Confused" actor recalled made him uneasy when it came to talking to his mom. One Sunday, the day he would have weekly calls with Kay, Matthew dialed home. Although Kay picked up the phone, she wasn't acting like his mom as much as she was acting like a fan.

He speaks of an instance when he was at home one day and received a call from his friend. The friend alerted him that Kay was on "Hard Copy," a celebrity scandal TV show. As reported by Matthew, "Here's a camera going through...mom's leading the camera going, 'and there's the bed where I caught him with Michelle...Over here is the bathroom, and of course I walked in...and caught him doing you know what...'"

Panicked, Matthew called her immediately to ask what she was doing, to which Kay reasoned that she never thought he would find out. This then led to Matthew abstaining from sharing anything further with Kay. Of how this affected their relationship, he said they didn't speak for a while and mentioned, "It was a strenuous relationship for eight years..."

What particularly bothered Matthew with this ordeal was the fact that it happened at a stage where he had not quite gotten his feet fully planted on the ground as an actor. Thus, he really leaned on his mom for support and encouragement, and so he felt betrayed when she shared his secrets with the broader public.

Matthew and Kay have come a long way as mother and son from the years of strain that impacted their relationship.

Another event that caused a rift between Matthew and Kay was when he excitedly called her to share the news that he and Camila were expecting their first baby together. Instead of being met with what they expected to be a joyous response, Kay was less than pleased, to say the least.

At the time, Camila and Matthew were not married, which was a major upset for Kay, who stated, "This is all wrong, Matthew. This is not how I raised you, and I'm sorry, Camila, but this is not how I raised my son. I am not happy in the least." Kay proceeded to hang up the phone abruptly, much to the shock and dismay of Camila and Matthew.

According to Camila, Kay would do various things to test her once she came into the picture. Camila recounts, "She would call me by all of Matthew's ex-girlfriends' names, she would start speaking Spanish with me in a very broken way...all kinds of stuff..."

Far from being thwarted by Kay's attempts to rattle her, Camila flipped the script on Kay and gave her attitude right back, and from that moment on, Kay gave her her respect, as she had passed the test.

Apparently, putting one to the test is a rite of passage in the McConaughey household. In this regard, Matthew explained, "My family is big on...initiation, and you don't get into the McCounaughey family easily." Thus, when Camila rose to the occasion to challenge Kay, Kay accepted her right away.

The two now get along great, and their relationship has grown more solid over the years, especially when Kay was staying with Camila, Matthew, and their kids during the pandemic.

Matthew McConaughey and His Mom Worked through Their Issues and Now Have a Great Relationship

Although Matthew and Kay went through their fair share of challenging times, the mother and son eventually worked out their qualms. Now, instead of trying to avoid Kay's boisterous ways regarding his life and career, Matthew gives his mom full reign to do as she pleases, which has resulted in nothing but positive actions.

Though Kay has always been as tough as nails, she has always loved her son, whom she calls "a gift from God," and she's always been his biggest fan.

She even has a memorabilia room of all the movies Matthew has been in and other incredible feats he has achieved throughout his career. In the same room, Kay also has endearing pictures of him, Camila, her grandkids, and wonderful mother-son images of their times together.

As far as one of her favorite qualities about her son goes, Kay expressed, "The nice part about him, though, is that he is so real, you know there is nothing phony about him...He really is a very sincere person."

Just like Kay loves and takes every opportunity to boast about her son, so does Matthew, like when he celebrated her like a queen on her 90th birthday last year. Similarly, this year, when Kay turned 91, her loving daughter-in-law, Camila, celebrated her and posted a birthday dedication on her Instagram.

These days, mama and grandma Kay is sharing her maternal and womanhood nuggets of wisdom with the public on the social media pages of Camila and Matthew, who continue to love and cherish her dearly.

Matthew and Kay have come a long way as mother and son from the years of strain that impacted their relationship. Now, the mother-son duo's relationship has continued to blossom into a beautiful and strong bond.