Natalie Portman Jokes Rihanna Got Her Through Her Divorce With Paris Fashion Week Meeting

Natalie Portman's viral meeting with Rihanna at Paris Fashion Week in January was as big a deal for her as it was for us, it seems.

Portman appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week, and the host asked about the sweet moment which was captured on camera and widely shared at the time.

"It was an amazing experience for me," the actress told him. "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."

After Fallon played the video of the two women interacting, Portman told him, "It was a formative moment in my life."

A video of the sweet moment between the Fenty founder and the Black Swan actress went viral earlier this year, with both women completely fangirling over each other.

They greeted each other with a massive hug despite having never met in person before, and Portman told RiRi ceremoniously, "I. Love you."

The singer then told her new friend that she's a huge fan of hers, to which Portman said, "Are you kidding me?"

Rihanna then bestowed an honor for the ages on Portman, telling her, "You are one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever." Both were clearly starstruck by the interaction.

Per People , Portman filed for divorce from ex-husband Benjamin Millepied in July 2023, and the separation was finalized in February 2024 in France, where Millepied is from and where Portman still lives today. They share children Aleph, 13, and Amalia, 7.

Their marriage was unfortunately plagued by unverified affair rumors on Millepied's end. Speaking of these reports in February , Portman said, "It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it."

Since then, the actress has seemingly been living her best life, for example being spotted sharing a cigarette in matching T-shirts with Paul Mescal in London in May.

She appeared on Fallon to promote her TV mini series Lady in the Lake , coming soon on Apple TV+.