Natalie Portman addresses speculation about husband Benjamin Millepied’s alleged affair

Natalie Portman has officially addressed the speculation that her husband, Benjamin Millepied, had an affair.

The 42-year-old actor discussed the commentary surrounding her marriage of nearly 12 years during an interview with Vanity Fair, published on 21 February. Her remarks come nearly a year after a French outlet first reported that her husband allegedly had an affair with a 25-year-old woman.

During her conversation with Vanity Fair, Portman was asked how she felt about all the people “writing about [her] marriage and personal life in a very public way,” as the affair rumours surfaced in June, shortly after the release of her movie, May December.

In response, Portman simply said: “It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute.”

In August 2023, a source claimed to Us Weekly that Portman and Millepied were “on the outs,” after trying to “work on their marriage” following the news of his alleged infidelity.

During their 11th anniversary in August 2023, fans also speculated that Portman was separated from Millepied after she was spotted sans wedding ring while attending an event in Sydney, Australia. At the time, she was supporting Angel City FC, the football club she co-owns alongside Eva Longoria, Serena Williams, America Ferrera, Mia Hamm, and Abby Wambach. However, neither Portman nor Millepied have since confirmed that they’re separated.

When reports of the alleged affair first broke in June 2023, a source initially claimed to People that the incident was “short-lived” and “over”. The source also claimed that Millepied knew he made “an enormous mistake” and was focused on his wife and family. In addition, the source acknowledged that Portman is “incredibly private” and had “no intention” of publicly addressing her relationship.

The notoriously private couple first met in 2009, while on the set of Black Swan, where Millepeid, who’s a choreographer, trained Portman. In a 2018 SiriusXM Town Hall interview, she gushed about falling in love with her now-husband on the set of the thriller film, saying: “I think I was in, like, dreamland… It was beautiful.”

After the pair announced their engagement in 2011, they officially tied the knot in August 2012, with an intimate Jewish ceremony on the coast of California in Big Sur. They now share two children: Aleph, 12, and Amalia, six.

In 2022, the couple celebrated their 10-year anniversary, with Portman writing on Instagram: “Ten years today @benjaminmillepied, and it keeps getting better…”

In addition to hitting back at the press about her marriage during the recent Vanity Fair interview, Portman also spoke candidly about her career in Hollywood. After noting that she’s lived in both Paris and Los Angeles for a while, she expressed that she lives a “very non-Hollywood life” in California.

“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. We’re not going to Hollywood parties, we’re having dinners at home in the backyard. I actually found that living there made my experience of LA much less ‘Hollywood,’” the No Strings Attached star said.

She noted that while she only visited Los Angeles for work, during which she’d stay in Beverly Hills,  she spent most of her time there “having industry meetings and going to industry parties”.

“Living there made my experience much more rounded and appreciative of all the city has to offer, from nature to the arts, food to music, and of course, the people,” she concluded.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Portman and Millepied for comment.