Matthew McConaughey on Faith, Family, and Finding Belief in an Uncertain World

Making Space with Hoda Kotb

NBC News

Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Society & Culture, Spirituality, Nbc News, Education, Motivation, Nbc, Today Show, Daily Boost, Self-improvement, Hoda, Today, Self Help, Make Space, The Today Show, Making Space, Feel Good, Making Space With Hoda Kotb, Inspiration, Hoda Kotb, Self Improvement

5 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 24 September 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor, bestselling author, and now the writer of "Poems and Prayers," a deeply personal collection of poetry and reflections spanning 30 years that explores faith, hope, and purpose. Though he is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, McConaughey admits he’s never felt the “ah, I did it” feeling, leading him on a search for deeper meaning through family, teaching, writing, and even advocacy, including speaking at the White House after the Uvalde school shooting. In this conversation, McConaughey sits down with Hoda to reflect on his evolving relationship with humility, gratitude, and belief and why writing has become his way to understand the world, inspire others, and remind us all to keep believing.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	What if you had the world's attention but found yourself longing for something deeper?
0:13.1	Well, my guest today has been in that very position. From his charming roles in the wedding planner
0:18.7	and how to lose a guy in 10 days to his
0:21.0	Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club, audiences have fallen in love with Matthew McConaughey
0:27.4	for more than two decades.
0:29.6	After years of falling in love on screen, he found a love story of his own with his beautiful
0:34.3	wife, Camilla.
0:36.1	Together, they have built a life with three incredible children,
0:39.7	a dream he's had since he was young.
0:41.7	Yet even with fame and a family he treasures,
0:45.0	he felt a pull beyond acting.
0:47.0	He stepped back to direct, to teach,
0:50.1	and spark a change advocating for gun safety legislation
0:53.3	at the White House in 2022,
0:55.6	which Congress passed shortly after his visit.
0:58.9	But for Matthew, speaking out is not enough.
1:02.6	Writing has become his way to carry conversations further and inspire others to broaden their perspectives.
1:08.9	To mark the release of his latest book,
1:15.7	Poems and Prayers, Matthew joins me to share his passion for writing, how his outlook on life has evolved, and his hopes for the future. I'm Hoda Kotby. Welcome to
1:20.6	my podcast, Making Space. Hi, Matthew. How are you?
1:39.6	I'm good. Happy to be here.
1:41.0	So happy to have your book in my hand. It's called Poems and Prayers.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NBC News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NBC News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.