Twenty-six years after his infamous naked bongo incident became Hollywood legend, Matthew McConaughey is celebrating the anniversary in the most McConaughey way possible: with tequila, humor, and absolutely zero regrets.
The Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, recently marked the milestone through their tequila company, Pantalones Organic Tequila. The couple released a hilarious video featuring a dramatic reading of the actual arrest report, complete with narration by Steve Zirnkilton, the iconic voice behind every Law & Order opening.
“If playing the bongos in my birthday suit gives us an anniversary worth raising a glass to, I’ll pour some Pantalones and cheers to it,” McConaughey told People, perfectly capturing his laid-back approach to what could have been a career-ending scandal.
The incident that launched a thousand memes occurred on October 25, 1999, when a 29-year-old McConaughey was arrested at his Austin, Texas home. According to his memoir “Greenlights,” the night followed a Texas Longhorns game and a weekend of partying. After 32 hours of celebration, the actor decided to wind down in his own unique way.
“It was time to smoke a bowl and listen to” musician Henri Dikongué, while he followed along on his bongos. “It was time to stand over my drum set and follow the rhythm of the blues before they got to Memphis,” McConaughey wrote in his memoir.
What started as a peaceful jam session quickly spiraled into chaos. “What I didn’t know was that while I was banging away in my bliss, two Austin policemen also thought it was time to barge into my house unannounced, wrestle me to the ground with nightsticks, handcuff me and pin me to the floor,” he recalled.
The actor’s response to his arrest became as legendary as the incident itself. When officers tried to cover him with a blanket, McConaughey adamantly refused, insisting his naked state proved he was minding his own business. He was charged with “disturbing the peace, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest.”
McConaughey’s mother, Kay, offered sage advice that the actor has never forgotten. “You go outside in front of that media and you hold your head high,” she told him, adding her own colorful commentary about nothing being wrong with playing drums in your birthday suit in your own home.
The legal consequences proved remarkably mild—McConaughey paid just $50 for violating a noise ordinance. However, the cultural impact was enormous. Within days, “BONGO NAKED” t-shirts flooded Austin, and the story became an integral part of McConaughey’s free-spirited public persona.
Today, the actor and his wife are turning that wild night into marketing gold. The couple launched a signature cocktail called “Pantsless and Famous,” a clever twist on the classic “Naked and Famous” cocktail. The recipe instructs fans to “shake like you’re trying to get your pants off” and “toss your pants to the wayside.”
Reflecting on her husband’s ability to transform the incident into celebration, Camila told Fox News Digital that “Only Matthew could turn a night like that into something we celebrate with tequila.”
“We’re precious about our tequila, not our pants,” McConaughey and Camila said in a press release. The statement perfectly encapsulates Pantalones’ tagline: “The Official Tequila of Marching to Your Own Beat.”
What could have been a scandal has instead become a testament to McConaughey’s authentic, unapologetic approach to life. The actor has consistently maintained he has no regrets about the incident, once telling Playboy magazine years later that he still plays congas naked and sees nothing wrong with beating drums in your birthday suit.
As the 26th anniversary proves, Matthew McConaughey isn’t just comfortable in his own skin—he’s built an empire celebrating it.