Matthew McConaughey Slams Texas Governor's Decision to Lift Mask Mandate Amid Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic

Matthew McConaughey is speaking out after Texas Gov. Gregory Wayne Abbott lifted restrictions on the state's mask mandate amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The 51-year-old actor, who hails from Uvalde, Texas, was a guest on CBS This Morning on Wednesday, where he slammed the decision and explained why it's important to "keep masking up."

"Thank you for asking me that. My reaction to that is, I was a little dumbfounded by the decision," McConaughey said. "I understand 'go back to work.' What I did not understand was 'pull the mask mandate.' Look, we're on our way to see a light at the end of the tunnel. To pull it, the mask is just this minor inconvenience. And I think I just want to remind, not only Texans, but everybody out there, it's not the mask we're afraid of, c'mon. It's the word 'mandate.'"

"Let's not let the word 'mandate' get in the way of practical use of this little tool called a mask. It's just a small inconvenience today for more freedom tomorrow," he continued. "So now it's our choice. And I ask Texans and people around the world. If you have the choice, keep masking up. It's proven to help. We don't have much longer in this, we'll get through this. Thank you."

Earlier this month, McConaughey mentioned that he was "considering" a run for Texas governor in various interviews, after first addressing a possible run back in November. In Wednesday's interview, he was asked again if he'd consider becoming a candidate.

"It does keep coming up," McConaughey replied. "As I've said before, I'm giving it consideration, I would be a fool not to. It's a very honorable thing to consider, you know, what that position would mean, what would it be for me, and what would it mean for the people of Texas."

"As I've said before and I'll say again right now, I have to decide for me what is my category where I can be most useful in life from here?" he added.

As ET previously reported, McConaughey was one of the first celebrities to tweet out their support for Texas last month, after thousands of residents and businesses were without power amid a brutal winter storm that brought frigid weather to the South. Now, McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, are hosting "We're Texas" on Sunday, a virtual star-studded benefit to help rebuild the Lone Star State. Featured artists include Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson and Willie Nelson.

"This is the beautiful thing about Texans, it didn't take long at all to convince people [to help]," McConaughey told CBS This Morning. "Camila and I said, 'OK, something needs to be done. What do we do?' And we came up with the idea of the benefit."

"Then I get on the phone, and in 30 seconds, every performer, every Texas business, every sports star's like, 'Yes, tell me what to do, when and where, I'm in,'" he added. "That was the easy part. Getting the whole production together, these things are timely. Because you don't want to be too far away from the disaster, where the needs are there. At the same time, you want to put together a good show. So, we're happy with where we are, with a lot of help from a lot of people, in Texas and beyond." 

Hear more in the video below.

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