Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The Oscar-winning actor teamed up with Jimmy Fallon to perform Ella Langley’s hit song during Wednesday night’s episode of The Tonight Show.
Matthew McConaughey once again showed his strong connection to his Texas roots during Wednesday’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The 56-year-old Oscar winner joined host Jimmy Fallon and indie folk group The Last Bison for a surprise performance of Ella Langley’s hit “Choosin’ Texas.” McConaughey played the mandolin while Fallon contributed on the washboard as the group delivered a bluegrass-inspired version of the country song.
The unexpected performance quickly gained attention online, eventually reaching Langley herself. The country star shared a video of the performance on her Instagram Stories, admitting that she was overwhelmed by the moment.
“I don’t think I’ll ever recover from this,” Langley wrote alongside the clip.
Fans also expressed their excitement in the comments, with one joking about singing along to the song at full volume while driving. Another called the collaboration a cover nobody knew they needed.
The performance was part of a segment called “Tonight Show Audience Suggestion Box.” Fallon read a viewer’s request that cleverly connected Langley’s hit with McConaughey’s latest film, The Rivals of Amziah King, in which the actor portrays a musician involved with a bluegrass band.
The suggestion imagined combining the two: Langley’s popular Texas-themed song and McConaughey’s musical role in the film.
Fallon then joked that The Tonight Show was the place where such dreams could come true.
The curtain soon opened, revealing McConaughey holding a mandolin alongside The Last Bison. Fallon joined the musicians with a washboard, and together they launched into their unique bluegrass interpretation of “Choosin’ Texas.”
The surprise cover arrives as Langley’s song continues to reach major milestones on the charts.
“Choosin’ Texas” recently secured its 17th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The achievement made it the longest-running non-holiday chart-topper by a solo female artist in Billboard history.
Langley’s record-breaking run surpassed Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together,” both of which spent 14 weeks at No. 1.
