Moby has once again spoken out regarding his past connection with Natalie Portman, highlighting the stark differences in how they recall their brief relationship. The 60-year-old musician’s comments came during a February 20 interview with The Times in the U.K. as he revisited the claims he previously made in his 2019 memoir Then It Fell Apart. In that book, he stated they dated in 1999, when he was 33 and Portman was 18.
Natalie Portman Challenges Moby’s Account of Their Interaction
Portman, now 44, has consistently denied Moby’s version of events. In a 2019 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she expressed surprise at his depiction of their relationship.
“I was surprised to hear that he characterised the very short time that I knew him as dating because my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me when I just had graduated high school,”
she said. She added that she had been a fan and attended one of his performances shortly after graduating.
“When we met after the show, he said, ‘let’s be friends’. He was on tour and I was working, shooting a film, so we only hung out a handful of times before I realized that this was an older man who was interested in me in a way that felt inappropriate,”
she explained. Portman also noted,
“He said I was 20; I definitely wasn’t. I was a teenager. I had just turned 18.”
Moby Responds to Portman’s Reactions and Reflects on Their History
Despite the pointed remarks from Portman years ago, Moby has not let them fade from memory. Addressing the situation in The Times, he stated,
“I completely respect Natalie’s possible regret in dating me (to be fair, I would probably regret dating me, too),”
but maintained,
“But it doesn’t alter the actual facts of our brief romantic history.”
Reflecting on their past now, he admitted,
“it’s hard for me to make sense of it.”
Ongoing Discrepancies Highlight Heightened Tensions Over Relationship History
The ongoing dispute over their relationship highlights significant tension between their differing perspectives on the same events. While Moby insists on the accuracy of his recollection, Portman emphasizes her discomfort and mistrust regarding his intentions during their limited encounters. This discord continues to fuel discussions surrounding their interactions nearly a quarter-century later, keeping the Natalie Portman relationship dispute in public focus.
