How Rihanna Helped Natalie Portman Through Her Divorce

Natalie Portman. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

is giving props to for getting her through a tough time.

Portman, 43, has credited the “Lift Me Up” singer with helping her through her divorce from her ex-husband, .

“It was an amazing experience for me,” the actress recalled meeting Rihanna at Paris Fashion Week in January during an interview on the Monday, July 15, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“I think every woman going through divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad b—h. It was exactly what I needed,” she added.

Related: Celebrities Who Fell in Love With Non-Famous PeopleJulianna Margulies, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are just some of the A-listers that have wed unfamous men -- check out the dreamy gentleman that won the marriage lottery

Host then played a viral clip of Rihanna and Portman meeting for the first time at a Dior fashion show earlier this year. In the video, Rihanna tells the actress, “You are one of the hottest b—-es in Hollywood forever,” prompting Portman to respond, “Excuse me? I’m gonna faint.”

“I’m a f—ing fan,” Rihanna continued to gush over the May December star. “Yo, I don’t get excited about anybody, but I f—ing love you.”

Reacting to the clip, Portman told Fallon, “It was a formative moment in my life.”

Rihanna Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fenty Hair

Earlier Monday, Portman also addressed the compliment on the Today show, telling and guest cohost , “It’s the confident boost of a lifetime. And it’s exactly what I needed at that moment in my life and she served it to me, and I’m forever grateful.”

Related: Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied's Relationship TimelineA beautiful love story. Natalie Portman and her husband, Benjamin Millepied, met on the set of her film Black Swan in 2009. “I think I was in, like, dreamland. So, it was pretty … it seemed pretty fun the whole time,” Portman said of getting to know her husband while making the psychological thriller during […]

Portman previously spoke about her encounter with Rihanna in an interview with L’Officiel magazine in April.

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“It was just like a dream. I’ve been such a big fan of hers for such a long time. Her music means so much to me, and I was so excited to see her,” she said. “I thought I was just going to go up and tell her that I was a big fan. So it was just a very big compliment that she was so kind to me. It was a very memorable life moment.”

Benjamin Millepied and Natalie Portman. Unique Nicole/Getty Images

Us Weekly confirmed in August 2023 that Portman and Millepied, 47, quietly split after 11 years of marriage. News of their breakup came two months after it was widely reported that Millepied was having an affair with activist.

The couple, who share two children, son Aleph, 13, and daughter Amalia, 7, finalized their divorce in March, a rep for the actress confirmed at the time.

In this articleBenjamin MillepiedNatalie PortmanRihanna

How Rihanna Helped Natalie Portman Through Her Divorce

How Rihanna Helped Natalie Portman Through Her Divorce

How Rihanna Helped Natalie Portman Through Her Divorce

How Rihanna Helped Natalie Portman Through Her Divorce

How Rihanna Helped Natalie Portman Through Her Divorce