Matthew McConaughey Celebrates Infamous ‘Bongo’ Arrest With Tequila

Matthew McConaughey is marking one of the wildest nights of his life with humor, nostalgia, and a whole lot of tequila. It’s been 26 years since the Oscar winner made headlines for his now-legendary naked bongo incident, and this year, he’s embracing it in true McConaughey fashion. Together with wife Camila McConaughey, the couple is raising a glass (and probably some eyebrows) with their latest campaign for Pantalones Organic Tequila. To commemorate the anniversary of Matthew McConaughey’s 1999 arrest, Pantalones Organic Tequila released a hilariously dramatic video reenacting the police report, complete with narration by Steve Zirnkilton, the iconic voice behind “Law & Order.”

The campaign kicks off with a hilarious nod to one of television’s most recognizable openings. Instead of the familiar “Law & Order” intro, the screen flashes “Pantalones” as Zirnkilton delivers the opening line, “What follows is a real police report. No names have been changed because he was totally guilty.”

From there, the tone is pure McConaughey mischief. Matthew appears behind a set of bongos, casually drumming away as Camila sits nearby, sipping her tequila and narrating the story of that night when her husband’s midnight jam session turned into one of Hollywood’s most infamous arrest stories.

True to its tagline, Pantalones proudly calls itself “The Official Tequila of Marching to Your Own Beat.” The couple even rolled out a cheeky signature cocktail, the Pantsless and Famous, a clever spin on the Naked and Famous.

The recipe, sent to The Blast, blends equal parts Pantalones Organic Blanco Tequila, Aperol, Yellow Chartreuse, and fresh lime juice, topped with a lime wedge for garnish. But it’s the recipe’s instructions that truly capture Matthew McConaughey’s spirit. Fans are told to “shake like you’re trying to get your pants off,” pour into a chilled coupe glass, and “toss your pants to the wayside.”

The celebration nods to one of the most talked-about moments in Matthew McConaughey’s career. On October 25, 1999, the actor was arrested at his home in Austin, Texas, after neighbors reported loud music, and police found him playing the bongos, naked, and high. According to McConaughey’s memoir “Greenlights,” the night followed a Texas Longhorns game and a weekend of partying. “I decided to wind down with some marijuana and the beautiful melodic beats of Henri Dikongué,” he wrote.

That peaceful jam session ended abruptly when two officers entered his home unannounced. “They wrestled me to the ground with nightsticks, handcuffed me, and pinned me to the floor,” McConaughey recalled. When he was told he was being charged with resisting arrest, his response was pure Texas defiance, as he yelled, “You broke in my house! F-ck yeah, I resisted.”

While many stars might have hidden from the scandal, Matthew McConaughey’s mother, Kay McConaughey, had quite the opposite reaction. At the Texas Book Festival, the actor recalled her advice at the time. “You go outside in front of that media and you hold your head high,” she said. “I know what you were doing last night, playing bongos, smoking that funny stuff in your birthday suit, and you’ve done it before and you’ll do it again.”

It was exactly the kind of wisdom Kay has been sharing with her son since day one. “Don’t walk into a place like you want to buy it,” she said. “Walk in like you own it.” The now-93-year-old even wrote her own memoir in 2008 titled “I Amaze Myself,” a title her son admits is hard to argue with.

What once could’ve been a career-ending tabloid scandal has become a core part of Matthew McConaughey’s legend, a symbol of his free-spirited, “just keep livin’” philosophy.

With Pantalones Tequila, the “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” actor and his wife are leaning all the way into that legacy. By transforming a wild night into a tongue-in-cheek celebration of individuality, the McConaugheys prove they’re still living on their own terms, pants or no pants.