Throughout his time as a public figure, Matthew McConaughey has mostly kept his nose clean. However, the now-55-year-old actor did have one particularly notable run-in with the law years ago. McConaughey was arrested in his home in 1999, at which point he was smoking marijuana and playing the bongos while naked. It was a wild situation, to say the least, but it’s one that the Texas native can now view through a humorous lens. He recently did just that with his wife to mark the 25th anniversary of the incident Law & Order style.
In addition to being an actor, Matthew McConaughey is also a bonafide entrepreneur, with one of his biggest enterprises being his Pantalones Organic Tequila. He and his wife, Camila Alves (42), co-founded the brand, and they frequently appear in funny ads to promote it. While those commercials – many of which have gone viral – are great, this latest one really takes the cake. The spot – which was shared to McConaughey’s Instagram – opens with narration from Law & Order’s Steve ZirnKilton and, well… just watch it below:
This is a brilliant piece of marketing and I love the fact that the McConaugheys went all in on the L&O motif by having that narration and a title card similar to the iconic procedural’s. What’s especially surreal, though, is the fact that Camila apparently reads the actual police report from her hubby’s 1999 arrest while he plays the bongos. I admire when anyone can make fun of themself, but this is an A+ example of that. I love just how self-deprecating the Oscar winner is about all of this.
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Matthew McConaughey – who’s even sparked up with Snoop Dogg – has been incredibly open about his arrest. As the Dallas Buyers Club star explained in his 2020 book, Greenlights, after 32 hours of non-stop partying in Austin, he saw fit to “smoke a bowl.” While he was high and loudly jamming to “African melodic beats” while in the nude, two nearby policemen came to the residence and took action. In McConaughey’s own words they saw fit to “wrestle me to the ground with nightsticks, handcuff me and pin me to the floor.” Ultimately, the A-lister pleaded guilty to a Class C violation and only ended up paying a $50 fine.
It goes without saying that the Interstellar star has come a long way since his arrest. Aside from being an accomplished actor, he’s also a family man, as he shares three kids with Camila Alves, who he met in 2006 and married in 2012. The couple’s work with their tequila brand has yielded some very fun results. One of their ads references Dazed & Confused, while another shows the couple celebrating National No Pants Day.
This latest ad referencing the bongo-related arrest represents just another funny feather in the couple’s professional cap. I feel as though the only other marketeer to have such a self-referential idea for a commercial would be Ryan Reynolds. Still, even Reynolds would have to do some work to top this Law & Order-esque ad, which could have only been improved if it featured a Mariska Hargitay cameo.
Of course, aside from filming commercials, Matthew McConaughey is also still making films, and fans can check out his latest flick from the 2025 movie schedule, The Lost Bus, which is now streamable with an Apple TV+ subscription. Also, check out some of the best movies from McConaughey’s filmography.
