How long did Matthew McConaughey live in Uvalde, Texas?

Texan native Matthew McConaughey joined the White House press briefing on 7 June 2022 and gave an impassioned speech advocating for “common-sense gun laws” – it was news to many of the actor’s fanbase that he was actually born in (or at least near) Uvalde, which suffered a mass shooting on 24 May. How long did Matthew McConaughey live in Uvalde, Texas?

How long did Matthew McConaughey live in Uvalde, Texas?

Born in Uvalde, Texas, in November 1969, American actor Matthew McConaughey spent the first 11 years of his life there, according to Vanity Fair.

However, per Entertainment Online’s account, he was born close to the town and lived there until he was 16. Either way, he grew up in and around the town. His connection to it is personal.

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His mother, Mary “Kay” Kathleen – now a published author – was a kindergarten teacher at St Philip’s Episcopal School in Uvalde. Matthew was taught by her. 

The school is just “four minutes down the road” from Robb Elementary School, the scene of last month’s mass shooting, Entertainment Online adds.

What has Matthew and his family said about living in Uvalde?

Matthew McConaughey returned to Uvalde in 2020 for the centennial celebration of the Uvalde Area Chamber Of Commerce. His mother also attended, as did his brother Rooster, per the Uvalde Leader-News.

Rooster McConaughey described the town as “giving to the people that live here”.

“So many successful people came and learned and left this town and went out and kicked *ss,” he said.

Uvalde was “the most perfect place to raise children”, Mary Kathleen said of the town. The outlet adds Matthew McConaughey was a runner-up in a Bandera youth pageant while living in the town.

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What did he say in his speech during the White House press briefing?

McConaughey spoke for more than 20 minutes at the White House press briefing on 7 June 2022.

“This moment is different,” he said referring to the Uvalde massacre. “We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before. A window where it seems like real change, real change can happen. Uvalde, Texas, is where I was born.”

The actor also talked about Robb Elementary pupil Maite Rodriguez, whose green shoes were apparently the “only clear evidence” officers could use to identify her.

Watch his full address below:

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Bruno Cooke

Bruno Cooke has been a freelance journalist since 2019, primarily with GRV Media. He was an early contributor to The Focus, and has written for HITC, Groundviews and the Sheffield University newspaper – he earned his MA in Global Journalism there in 2021. He’s the Spoken Word Poetry Editor for The Friday Poem, and self-published his debut novel Reveries in 2019, which his mum called both a “fine read” and “excellent Christmas present”. Bruno has lived in China, Sri Lanka and the Philippines and likes, among other things: bicycle touring, black and white Japanese films, pub quizzes, fermentation and baklava. In 2023, Bruno will set off with his partner on a round-the-world cycle.