How Trisha Yearwood Helped Launch Matthew McConaughey's Acting Career

Before Trisha Yearwood became a country music star and celebrity chef, she worked at Mary Tyler Moore’s company, MTM Records. She eventually got signed on by MCA, and as Yearwood’s career was taking off, she helped kickstart Matthew McConaughey’s acting career too.

McConaughey told Kelly Clarkson on her daytime talk show about being cast in Yearwood’s video for “Walkaway Joe,” as he was looking for any kind of job that gave him screen time. He also revealed he had never met Yearwood on set, as the video was shot in different locations and put together.

Yearwood and McConaughey finally met for the first time 30 years later on an episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Yearwood laughingly admitted she “basically gave [McConaughey] a career,” with McConaughey recalling the part in her video as the first “yes” he had gotten for a big project.