The Most Mind-Blowing Oprah Winfrey & Matthew McConaughey Facts From 10 Things You Don't Know

By Allison Crist Sep 15, 2020 3:00 AMTags
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You know them, but do you really know them?

Matthew McConaughey and Oprah Winfrey were the latest celebrities to get the 10 Things You Don't Know treatment when tonight's brand new episodes of the E! series uncovered the most unique, unbelievable and surprising facts about both the Texas-born actor and the self-made media empress.

We know what you're thinking—as household names and pioneers in their respective fields, what could there possibly be to learn about the two that's not already known?

Well, a lot!

For example, Matthew's key to keeping his luxurious locks the perfect length comes down to not a particular pair of scissors or a certain stylist, but the lunar cycle. And that's not even the wildest reveal 10 Things made about the Dazed and Confused star!

As for Oprah, you're probably well aware that she hosted the highest rated talk show in history, and that she now has her very own network—along with 16 Emmys, a Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Presidential Medal of Freedom—but did you know that she was once sued for $10 million over hamburgers?

Keep scrolling to find out more about the infamous court case and all of the other fascinating facts 10 Things taught us about Oprah and Matthew!

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Blizzard BFFs

Oprah and Gayle King evidently owe their friendship to a snow storm!

The two initially met while working at the same TV station in Baltimore, but it wasn't until a blizzard hit that they really got to know each other, as Gayle couldn't drive home, so Oprah invited her to stay the night.

"We became friends that first night because for the first time, I met somebody who I felt was like me," Gayle said in a 2006 interview with O, The Oprah Magazine. "I'd never met anybody like that. Certainly not another Black girl. I grew up in an all-white community."

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Moon Makeover

Looking back, it's hard to believe there was a time in which Matthew McConaughey was balding. He's since become known for his long, wavy locks, and even opened up about his secret to maintaining his 'do: Regenix (a biopharmaceutical scalp treatment) and only cutting his hair when the moon is full.

"Do not cut it when the moon's waning," he once told Elle, citing the logic behind farmers only planting "at certain times of the year."

First Date Fail

After meeting at a 1986 charity event, Oprah and Stedman Graham's first date wasn't dinner and a movie, but water skiing!

As Oprah recalled, "Stedman tried 28 times to get up and wouldn't give up. I thought, what is wrong with him? Good lord, this is exhausting."

However, something must've clicked, because the two have been together for more than 30 years in what Oprah describes as a "spiritual" partnership rather than a traditional marriage.

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Inauthentic Aussie

Matthew faked an Australian accent for an entire year!

He apparently spent some time down under after graduating from high school, and when the fall of his freshman year at The University of Texas at Austin rolled around, he decided to adopt the accent.

It turned out to be a huge hit with the ladies, and even his fraternity brothers bought it.

One year later, Matthew simply revealed that he had been faking the whole time. Perhaps he was just training for his career as an actor?

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Meat Mitigation

Oprah was once sued for $10 million over—wait for it—hamburgers.

The story dates back to April 1996, when an animal rights activist made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show and predicted that mad cow disease would eventually affect the U.S. Beef industry.

At the time, Oprah remarked that the discussion "has just stopped me cold from eating another burger."

Within two weeks, beef prices sank to their lowest point in 10 years, and members of the Texas Cattle Industry thought Oprah was to blame. The organization filed a lawsuit against her, alleging that her statements had caused the industry $10.3 million in damages.

Oprah documented the experience and eventual court date on her show, and the jury ultimately voted unanimously in her favor.

"I provide a forum for people to express their opinions," Oprah stated. "This is the United States of America!"

Good Looks, Bad Lawsuit

Speaking of court cases...Matthew had one thrown out because he was too attractive!

Back when he was a teenager, Matthew's mom apparently tried to help him treat his skin issues with mink oil. However, he wound up with a face full of acne and nearly suffered permanent scarring as a result, prompting his parents to file a $30,000 lawsuit against the oil company.

The case didn't go to court for years, and here's what happened when it finally did, according to Matthew: "I get called in for a deposition by the defense and he sits me down and he reaches down and pulls up this yearbook. He opens up this page, turns it around, slides it over and he goes, 'What's this picture here? This award you won?'"

Matthew continued, "I look down on it and it says 'Most Handsome.' And he goes, 'Yeah.'"

And that was that!

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Celebs' Real Names

From Orpah to Oprah

Oprah isn't actually the media maven's birth name; it's "Orpah," taken from the Bible's Book of Ruth.

"My Aunt Ida had chosen the name, but nobody really knew how to spell it, so it went down as 'Orpah' on my birth certificate, but people didn't know how to pronounce it, so they put the "P" before the "R" in every place else other than the birth certificate," she recalled back in 1991.

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Magic Mike Mistakes

During the filming of Matthew's infamous striptease scene in Magic Mike, overexcited female extras ended up ripping his thong off!

"I'm glad that my left hand instinctually knew what to do and what to cover," he later joked, also revealing that the scene almost didn't happen.

"I said, well you gotta do that! You gotta give it a try," Matthew recalled. "If I didn't do that, yeah, I would've regretted it."

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