Matthew McConaughey has revealed he essentially stopped communicating with his mum for eight years after she started leaking personal stories about him to the press.
Speaking to Howard Stern, McConaughey said that his mother "became a different person" when her son first became famous, and that what followed was a "strenuous relationship" for nearly a decade.
"I was calling my mom at that time after I'd gotten famous, needing to talk to my mom," MConaughey explained, adding that he often felt "unbalanced" while coming to terms with his newfound fame.
"And my mom was not the only one on the phone. The woman that was on the phone was a fan. Of my fame."
The Dallas Buyers Club star said he would have what he thought were private conversations with his mother, only to read a story in the paper about the same thing three days later.
"I was like, 'Mom, that was between us.'"
The worst betrayal came when McConaughey found out his mum had appeared on the '90s tabloid news show Hard Copy, where she gave a tour of the family home.
"There's mom, giving someone a tour through the house, [saying] 'Here's where I caught him with so-and-so in bed. Here's where I saw him in the shower, you know what he was doing in there, ha ha ha.'," McConaughey said.
"And I call her up, and I go, 'Mom, what did you do?' And she goes, 'What are you talking about?'"
Having played dumb about the interview at first, McConaughey's mother eventually admitted: "I didn't think you'd find out."
The 50-year-old actor said from then on, he found it difficult to share much of his life with his mum, calling it "a sad time".
"She was always still my mom, but she became a different person," Matthew said. "I just had to make some boundaries. And it was a strenuous relationship for eight years."
McConaughey said his relationship with his mother is "completely back" now, and he had not only forgiven her for any past transgressions, but given her permission to talk to whoever she wanted.
"Once I got my career sort of stable and felt on my feet, I let go of the reins and said, 'Go get it, Mom. Whatever you want. There's the camera'," McConaughey said.
"She's been awesome. She's got incredible stuff to say and do. And I'm like, go for it."
The Hollywood heavyweight has been opening up about much of his family life while promoting his candid new memoir, Greenlights. Last week, he revealed that his father had died while having sex with his mother, as well as detailing his parents' tumultous relationship.
