Natalie Portman is leaning on friends in the wake of her divorce from Benjamin Millepied.
“This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” Portman captioned an Instagram post on Sunday, June 9, celebrating her 43rd birthday and sharing a series of images alongside her closest friends.
Some of Portman’s famous friends left sweet comments on the post as well.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN,” Kerry Washington wrote, adding a red heart emoji. Reese Witherspoon, meanwhile, called Portman an “incredible diamond of a human.”
The May December actress’ birthday celebration comes months after finalizing her divorce from Millepied, 46, in March. Us Weekly confirmed in August 2023 that the former couple — who share children Aleph, 12, and Amalia, 7 — had quietly separated after 11 years of marriage.
Two months before their separation, rumors started swirling that Millepied was having an affair with climate activist Camille Étienne. The alleged infidelity has yet to be addressed, but Portman did speak candidly about the public fodder surrounding her marriage.
“It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it,” Portman told Vanity Fair in February, noting that she “can imagine” it was difficult for the reporter to ask about the speculation.
During the same interview, Portman also praised her friends, revealing how they keep her grounded.
“I lead a very non-Hollywood life in L.A. I live on the east side. I have some friends who are in the entertainment industry, but many friends who are not, and we don’t do industry things when we hang out,” she explained. “We’re not going to Hollywood parties, we’re having dinners at home in the backyard.”
A source told Us earlier this month that Portman has a “lighter step” and feels “more joy” following her divorce from Millepied.
“Natalie is her confident self [again],” the insider added. “It took her a while to get her smile back after the divorce, but she has turned a corner.”
In late May, Portman raised eyebrows when she was spotted smoking cigarettes with Paul Mescal outside of a bar in England in photos obtained by Page Six.
“She’s really coming into her own self-happiness,” the source said, confirming that Portman is not dating anyone currently. Instead, Portman is “focused on her kids and work for now” an has “started going out with friends and living her best life.”
