Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied's relationship timeline, from meeting on 'Black Swan' to their divorce
Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied first met on the set of the 2010 film "Black Swan."
In 2023, Portman was seen without her wedding ring amid reports that Millepied had an affair.
Their divorce was finalized in February, People magazine reported.
Natalie Portman's 11-year marriage to French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied has reportedly come to an end.
After reports that Millepied cheated on her, the Oscar-winning actor was spotted without her wedding ring at various events in 2023, including the press tour for her film "May December."
Here's a complete timeline of Portman and Millepied's relationship, from their fateful meeting on the set of "Black Swan" to the alleged affair that reportedly sent shockwaves through their relationship.
Esme Mazzeo and Libby Torres contributed to a previous version of this article.
2009: Portman and Millepied meet on the set of 'Black Swan'
Filming the 2010 ballet thriller "Black Swan" changed Portman's life in monumental ways. Not only did she win her first and only Oscar for her role as dancer Nina Sayers, but she also met her future husband while working on the Darren Aronofsky movie, which was filmed from late 2009 to 2010.
Millepied was a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet from 2002 to 2011 and choreographed the film. He also played the role of David/The Prince.
In a 2018 interview with Hoda Kotb for Sirius XM, Portman said she was in "dreamland" while filming the physically demanding drama because she was getting to know Millepied at the same time. She called the early stages of their relationship "romantic" because they were catching feelings for each other while he was teaching her how to dance.
Portman denied any instant feelings for Millepied when pressed by Kotb, but called their connection "beautiful."
According to The Guardian and other unconfirmed reports, Millepied was living with his former partner, ballet dancer Isabella Boylston, in 2009 and eventually left her for Portman.
December 2010: The couple announce that they're engaged and Portman is pregnant with their first child
Portman and Millepied kept a low profile during the early days of their relationship but were reportedly spotted out together on several occasions in 2010. Portman's representatives confirmed to People that she and Millepied were engaged and expecting a child together in December 2010.
"I have always kept my private life private but I will say that I am indescribably happy and feel very grateful to have this experience," Portman told Entertainment Weekly in a statement at the time.
The pregnant star thanked "my beautiful love Benjamin Millepied who choreographed the film and has now given me my most important role of my life" while accepting her best actress Oscar for "Black Swan" in February 2011.
That year's Academy Awards also marked Portman and Millepied's red-carpet debut as a couple.
June 14, 2011: Portman and Millepied's son Aleph is born
The couple welcomed their first child, a son, on June 14, 2011, People confirmed. His name was later revealed to be Aleph.
In 2012, Portman reflected on how motherhood had helped her grow as a person in an interview with Elle Canada. "I've got more patience, definitely," she said. "Just by looking at everyone and realizing that someone's their mother."
August 4, 2012: Millepied and Portman get married
A couple of months after Aleph's first birthday, Millepied and Portman married.
Their wedding ceremony took place on Saturday, August 4, 2012, at a private residence in Big Sur, California. According to The Cut and other sources, the event took place at night and followed the customs of the Jewish faith. Macaulay Culkin and Ivanka Trump were two of about 60 guests, per The Cut.
Before the big day, a friend of the couple told the London Evening Standard that it would be a "relaxed affair."
"They're not sending out invites. Natalie may not even buy a new dress," the unidentified source said at the time.
Late 2014: Portman and Millepied move their family to Paris
Millepied took a job at the Paris Opera Ballet that started in October 2014, The Guardian reported. Portman and Aleph moved to France with him for about two years until he left the position and they all moved back to Los Angeles.
"Everyone smiles a lot here. It's so nice," she said of Los Angeles on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2016. "They're very cool in France."
Portman told Kimmel she'd gotten used to the French demeanor and was happily surprised when she got back to the US and people were friendly and would smile at her son.
"I'd be like, 'what a good person,'" she laughed.
September 2016: Portman reveals her second pregnancy
Portman debuted her baby bump at the Venice Film Festival premiere of her film "Planetarium" in September 2016.
She and Millepied welcomed their daughter Amalia on February 22, 2017.
"Mother and baby are happy and healthy," a rep told People in a statement announcing the baby girl's birth.
February 2018: The couple works together on the film 'Vox Lux'
Portman played a pop star who found fame due to a set of unexpected, tragic circumstances in the 2018 film "Vox Lux," and Millepied choreographed the movie's dance routines.
Millepied previously told Vanity Fair in 2016 that the couple deliberately kept their work and relationship separate.
"Ultimately I think as a couple, you automatically learn from one another, and hopefully feed each other in ways that are positive. But I think, work…we keep very separate. I think that's important," he said at the time.
But while promoting "Vox Lux" in 2018, Portman told Extra that working with Millepied again was "so fun."
September 2020: The family moves to Australia so Portman could film 'Thor: Love and Thunder'
The family moved abroad again in September 2020, this time so Portman could reprise her role as Jane Foster in the Marvel film "Thor: Love and Thunder."
Portman told Jimmy Kimmel during a 2022 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that her kids went to the same school as her costar Chris Hemsworth's kids.
While working on the film, Portman also made time for romantic getaways with Millepied. In March 2021, she and her husband went on a trip to Australia's Blue Mountains, People reported, citing a now-deleted Instagram post of Portman's.
June 2022: Millepied supports Portman at various events for 'Thor: Love and Thunder'
Millepied was by Portman's side for many events on the "Thor: Love and Thunder" press tour including the world premiere of the film in Los Angeles and the UK premiere in London ahead of its July 2022 release.
August 4, 2022: The couple celebrates 10 years of marriage
Portman and Millepied celebrated 10 years of marriage on August 4, 2022. Portman, who is a notoriously private person, shared a message to her husband on her Instagram account to commemorate the occasion.
"Ten years today @benjaminmillepied, and it keeps getting better," she wrote.
September 2022: Portman supports Millepied while he's promoting 'Carmen,' his feature film directorial debut
It was Portman's turn to support Millepied on a press tour in 2022 when his feature film directorial debut, "Carmen," was shown at the Toronto Film Festival that September.
The "Where The Heart Is" star later expressed how proud she was of her husband and the film in a sweet Instagram post.
June 2023: Reports that Millepied had an extramarital affair begin to surface
In June 2023, the French magazine Voici reported that Millepied had cheated on Portman with a younger woman from France. According to Page Six, the Voici report said that Portman discovered the alleged affair in March.
On the same day the initial report surfaced, an unidentified source told People that Millepied "knows he made an enormous mistake and he is doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together."
The source also said that the affair "was short-lived and it is over."
In another unconfirmed report that month, an unnamed source told Us Weekly that "Natalie believes Benjamin's affair was a brief and stupid liaison that means nothing to him."
Days after the cheating was reported, Portman was seen without Millepied but still wearing her ring at a soccer game in Paris.
August 2023: Portman is spotted in Australia without her wedding ring
The "Jackie" star attended an event in Sydney in support of Angel City FC, the National Women's Soccer League team she cofounded, and didn't appear to be wearing her wedding ring, according to reports. Portman's trip abroad coincided with the couple's 11th wedding anniversary on August 4.
Several days after Portman was seen without her ring, unconfirmed reports said that the "No Strings Attached" star had separated from Millepied.
"After news of his affair came out, they've been trying to work on their marriage but are currently on the outs," an unnamed source told Us Weekly of Portman and Millepied.
September 2023: Portman and Millepied are photographed together with their kids, both sans wedding rings
According to People, the couple were seen with their children, 12-year-old Aleph and 6-year-old Amalia, in Paris. Neither Portman nor Millepied had their rings on.
That month, a source told Us Weekly that the two had been spending time together while co-parenting their children but that Portman was "skeptical" they'd reunite romantically.
"While she hasn't ruled it out, it's not something she wants at the moment," the source said.
November 2023: Portman remains ring-less during a string of public events
Ahead of the premiere of her film "May December," Portman was photographed at various red carpets and other events for the film.
In several photos — including one from the November 16 Los Angeles premiere of "May December," and another taken while she was out and about in New York on November 29 — Portman wasn't wearing her ring.
March 8, 2024: People magazine reports that Portman and Millepied finalized their divorce in February in France
People reported that Portman filed for divorce in July, and a rep for the star confirmed the split to the publication.
The news of their divorce came after Portman recently talked to Vanity Fair about the challenges of her private life being discussed and dissected publicly.
"It's terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it," she said.
According to an insider who spoke to People, Portman has been focusing on making sure her children become adjusted to their changing family dynamic.
"She and Ben really love their kids and are equally focused on being the best co-parents they can be," the unnamed source said. "Nothing is more important."
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