Natalie Portman Thanks Friends Who ‘Lift Me Up Again and Again’ After Benjamin Millepied Divorce
Natalie Portman thanked her friends for their support while celebrating her birthday after her divorce from ex-husband Benjamin Millepied.
“This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” Natalie, 43, wrote alongside several photos of herself with friends and family via Instagram on Sunday, June 9.
Shortly after she shared the post, several of Natalie’s famous friends rushed to the comments section to wish her a happy birthday. “Happy Birthday, you incredible diamond of a human! I love you,” Reese Witherspoon commented. Mindy Kaling added, “Happy birthday, beautiful!”
“Ports I love you. Happy Birthday. I'm so grateful you were born,” Isla Fisher commented, while Chris Hemsworth wrote, “Happy birthday!!”
The Black Swan actress has been leaning on her loved one following her split from Benjamin, 47. She filed for divorce in July 2023 amid rumors that he cheated on her with Camille ètienne. While neither Natalie nor Benjamin have publicly reacted to the claims, a source exclusively told Life & Style that she “was so hurt” by his actions.
“She felt she’d made so many sacrifices throughout their marriage in order to make Benjamin happy, only for him to make a fool out of her,” the insider revealed in July 2023. “Natalie wants to see if they can save this. She is trying. It’s just that the pain is still very fresh.”
Their divorce was eventually finalized in February. The pair – who tied the knot in 2012 – share kids Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 7.
The No Strings Attached actress recently made headlines when she was spotted hanging out with Paul Mescal at Bar 69 in London on May 28. They were seen outside of the pub as they smoked cigarettes and laughed, according to photos obtained by the Daily Mail.
While the dynamic of Paul, 28, and Natalie’s relationship is not currently known, they were previously paired together for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” segment in December 2023. At the time, Paul made it clear he was a fan of Natalie and praised her “brilliant” performance in May December.
Meanwhile, Paul seemingly made another flirtatious comment later on in the interview. “If my grammar school self knew that I would be talking to you, I would pinch myself many, many times,” he said.
After photos of their recent reunion were released, several fans took to social media to note how cute they would be as a couple. “Their chemistry is off the charts,” one person wrote via X. Another asked, “Are they a thing now?”