Natalie Portman shares how her viral run-in with Rihanna helped her through her divorce

Back in June of 2024, Natalie Portman had an unexpected meeting with Rihanna while at Paris Fashion Week. The interaction lasted a mere few seconds, but the actress says it gave her “the confidence boost of a lifetime” during a particularly challenging time, according to TODAY .

In a video posted to Instagram by Bustle , we see the two icons exchange a heartfelt hug, each clearly excited to meet the other. Rihanna told Portman that she was “one of the hottest b**ches in Hollywood forever,” to which the “Black Swan” star replied “I’m gonna faint.”

Understandable, Natalie. That is the only correct response after getting a compliment from Rhi Rhi.

Speaking with Jimmy Fallon on July 15th, Portman called the mutual hype-up “formative” following her divorce with Benjamin Millepied after 11 years of marriage.

“I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad b**ch,” she gushed, saying that is was “exactly what [she] needed.”

You can catch the interview moment below, which also plays the original clip.

Down in the comments, people were clearly moved to see these two women, who hadn’t truly known each other only minutes before, support each other in such a lovely way.

“I am so glad that Rihanna was able to be a light in the darkness for Natalie Portman. Two lovely women lifting each other up is always so nice to see! “ one viewer wrote.

“Bless Natalie and bless Rihanna for saying something so profound and encouraging during a difficult time. It goes to show, ‘Be nice to everyone you see as they are fighting a battle you know nothing about,’" added another.

While divorce is fairly common, it is still often a fairly taboo topic with a lot of stigma surrounding it. All of which makes it difficult to know exactly how to support a person going through one. Generally speaking, this kind of support looks a lot like how you might help someone going through other flavors of grief —lending a helping hand, continuing to invite them to things, offering to hold space and just listen, etc.

But it’s easy to see through this wholesome moment that reminding our friends of their inherent worth through a hype up session here and there can also work wonders. It probably doesn’t have to be Rihanna saying it to have an impact. Although, she could probably whip up another side business handing out compliments.