Some Clarity on Matthew McConaughey’s Thoughts About Vaccinating His Children

Mr. Dazed and Confused is not not against vaccinating kids.

By Megan Reynolds  |  November 11, 2021 | 3:45pm
CelebritiesDirt Bag
Some Clarity on Matthew McConaughey’s Thoughts About Vaccinating His Children
Image:Gary Miller (Getty Images)

Matthew McConaughey, actor, iconoclast, and man who is maybe considering a run for governor of Texas, would like to clear up some confusing statements he made about whether or not children, specifically his, should get the vaccine.

On November 9, McConaughey took to his pulpit to decree that before any children get the vaccine against covid-19, which was recently approved by the FDA for children ages 5-11, that he wants to “find out more information” before lobbying his support for vaccine requirements for the kids. “We just said we can vaccinate kids,” he said during something called the DealBook Summit, put on by the New York Times. “I want to trust in the science.” Mr. Alright, Alright, Alright is fully vaccinated, but he noted that even before the panorama, he and his wife, Camila Alves, were “slow” in vaccinating their children in general. Naturally, these comments picked up some steam, and McConaughey would like to set the record straight: He didn’t mean what he said in the way you thought he might have, so let’s all take a minute and relax, yeah?

In an Instagram Story posted Wednesday, McConaughey clarified that he is not anti-vaccine for all children, but that he is just not yet sure about any vaccine mandates for children aged 5-11. Here’s the famous man, now, in his own words:

“When asked my opinion on the subject of children and vaccination mandates I stated, ‘I couldn’t mandate it for kids just yet.’ What was not clear is that I was referring specifically to the 5-11 year old mandate,” he explained.
McConaughey continued, “What is NOT true, and insinuated with the clickbait headlines since, is that I am against vaccinating children at all. This is false. In fact, our eldest 13-year-old son Levi is fully vaccinated for COVID-19.”
He concluded by saying “I appreciate the ear and clarity,” telling his followers to “just keep livin’.”

One might wonder why McConaughey feels the need to “mandate” vaccines for children, as he is not yet a government official and is just an actor preparing for a possible run for governor. I have no real clarity into the mind of this man, but my assumption is that he needs to set his personal record straight, publicly, because he considers himself to be a public figure outside of the world of acting, as many famous people do. Arguably, people are more willing to listen to celebrities than they are government or public health officials when it comes to matters of this nature. I will give the man 5 points for understanding his role, but will subtract 10 and change for his stance, which positions him as a public official rather than a movie star with grizzled good looks and a slow, easy smile. [People]

Olivia Munn is upset that her pregnancy was revealed to the public before she was ready to reveal it herself.

“ I understand the interest. I’m always interested. I’m super interested when people are pregnant,” she told Jess Cagle. “But when it’s happening to you and you feel like you have no control over when you announce, or what, if something bad happens? What if I lose the baby, then it’s already been out there that I have it before I was ready to tell that information?”

A fair point, but perhaps one that she should address with John Mulaney. [YouTube]