What Has Natalie Portman Said About Her Divorce?
By Tariro Mzezewa, the Cut's morning blogger. Her coverage areas include culture, politics and art. She also contributes to Vulture, The New York Times and Conde Nast Traveler. She previously worked as a national correspondent at The New York Times.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
In January, the stars aligned when Natalie Portman and Rihanna ran into each other outside a Dior fashion show in Paris and got into a compliment tug-of-war. Rihanna uncharacteristically lost her cool and revealed herself to be a Portman fangirl, telling the actress she was “one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever.” Portman also fawned, saying she was going to “black out” from excitement.
On Monday, Portman told Jimmy Fallon that in addition to being an “amazing experience” and a “formative moment” in her life, her run-in with Rihanna also helped buoy her through her separation. “I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad bitch. It was exactly what I needed.”
The ego boost from Rih came just weeks before Portman quietly finalized her divorce from Benjamin Millepied following rumors that he cheated on her. The former couple was married for 11 years, and they share two children, Aleph and Amalia. A source told People in June 2023 that Portman’s priority was “ensuring a smooth transition for her children.”
Maybe the next time these two cross paths, Portman can find out where things stand with R9?
