AUSTIN, TEXAS: Actor Matthew McConaughey's wife Camila Alves has shared a rare glimpse into her "tricky" relationship with her mother-in-law Mary Kathlene "Kay" McCabe.
On a recent episode of Southern Living's 'Biscuits & Jam' podcast, the 41-year-old Brazilian model opened up about the difficult beginnings with Kay, who the McConaughey family affectionately call "Ma Mac."
As per Daily Mail, Alves claimed that Kay, now 91, began "testing" her daughter-in-law after she initially started dating the 53-year-old Oscar winner in 2006 with whom she has three children and has been married since 2012.
Mathew McConaughey's mother is an author-turned actress
Matthew McConaughey's mother, Mary Kathlene "Kay" McCabe, is a native of Trenton, New Jersey.
McCabe is an American author and former teacher who later transitioned into the acting world. She is known for 'Bernie (2011),' 'Today' (1952), and 'The Drew Barrymore Show' (2020).
She married James Donald McConaughey on July 28, 1968. Mississippi-born James was a merchant who supplied oil pipes. The couple was married for twenty years until James died in 1992 while having sex with McCabe.
Reportedly, McCabe and James had two separate divorces and three marriages. They have three children together despite their separation - Rooster McConaughey, Pat McConaughey, and Matthew McConaughey.
The 'Bernie' actress keeps a low profile and avoids the media and the spotlight. Additionally, she doesn't use social networking sites like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Mary Kathlene McCabe moved in with Mathew and his family
During the coronavirus pandemic, McCabe moved in with his son Matthew, his wife Camila Alves McConaughey, and their three children, Levi, 13, Vida, 11, and Livingston, 8.
On a 2020 episode of 'Red Table Talk,' she talked about quarantining in Austin, Texas, with her son and his family, describing the time as "really, really lovely."
"I'm enjoying so much being around my grandchildren. I'm very comfortable with them," she said at the time. "Matthew is a very good son. I tell him that all the time. He's good to me."
Mathew did not speak to his mother for 8 years!
After his mother repeatedly revealed their intimate discussions to the press, Matthew reportedly cut off communication with her for eight years until finally setting "some boundaries" with her.
The 'Dallas Buyers Club' actor confessed on 'The Howard Stern Show' in 2020, "I would have conversations and then all of a sudden—whoop—what we’d talk about would end up in the paper three days later."
Mathew claimed at the time that he finally lost it after she provided a live television tour of his boyhood home, despite repeatedly telling him their conversations should be kept private.
"It was tough for eight years, but we went through it and we're on the other side of it. It's good," he said, pointing out that their relationship is no longer "strenuous."
Over time, Matthew has "forgiven her," and she even spent time in quarantine with him and his family.
Mary Kathlene McCabe's relationship with Camila Alves
Along with the Oscar winner's own tumultuous relationship with his mother, his wife also didn't have a good relationship with her mother-in-law, though Alves recently revealed how they were able to ultimately get along.
In an interview with Sid Evans for a new episode of 'Biscuits & Jam' podcast, the model and mother of three revealed the precise moment when "Ma Mac" came to embrace her as the woman her son would eventually marry and have children.
"She did all these things when I first came in the picture, right? She was really testing me," Alves recalled.
She added, "I mean, really testing me. She would call me by all of Matthew's ex-girlfriends' names, she would start speaking Spanish with me in a very broken way, kind of putting [me] down a bit. I mean, all kinds of stuff."
Alves continued by describing how she got a modeling job in Istanbul that included a free first class ticket and a night at a good hotel. She then told her future mother-in-law, "Ma Mac, you're gonna come with me."
"The whole way there, the whole plane ride to Istanbul, she was telling me all these stories and putting all these things in my head," she added.
It didn't take Alves long to come to the conclusion: "Enough [of] that, when we landed, I was like, 'Okay, all right. Let me buckle up. Let me get ready for this situation."
The Brazilian native eventually spoke out for herself in order for her to say: "So I just [flipped] it on her and brought my spicy Brazilian, Latin side, and I let her have it. So I went back at her, and we had it back and forth, back and forth."
Alves finally revealed the positive consequence: "She just looked at me and she was like, 'Okay. Now you're in.'"
She acknowledged that "all she wanted was for me to fight back," adding, "From that day on, that night on, we have the most amazing relationship, and I have so much respect for her."
Although Alves acknowledged that "it can get tricky sometimes," she continued: "We always end with a good laugh and a joke."
