Reese Witherspoon steps up to help Natalie Portman ‘navigate some uncharted waters’ amid messy divorce

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Reese Witherspoon has supported Natalie Portman throughout her bumpy split from ex Benjamin Millepied and the two have developed a beautiful friendship due to their respective divorces.

An insider informed Life & Style, "Natalie would not be recommending books on social media without Reese’s encouragement and the example of Reese’s own super-successful book club", referencing Witherspoon's book sales club run through her company, Hello Sunshine.

Reese Witherspoon helps Natalie Portman navigate life after Benjamin Millepied divorce

The source added about Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman's bond, "It’s also been a weird coincidence that their marriages fell apart basically during the same period, and when the writing was on the wall for Natalie that she and Ben were through, Reese is one of the people who stepped up to be supportive of Natalie behind the scenes, helping her navigate some uncharted waters."

Witherspoon's 11-year marriage to Jim Toth ended in 2023.

The insider continued, "You sometimes hear Natalie make these remarks about how hard it is to create lasting friendships in Hollywood and how competitive being a leading lady in your forties can be."

The insider added, "It’s a bit self-pitying though, because Natalie has made a lot of actress friends over the years and especially in the last five years, Reese has been someone putting in work to coax Natalie out of her shell a little bit, just because they have so much in common." 

While referring to the two actresses' connection, the source said that there are "reams of common ground" between the two beyond just their divorces, according to OK! Magazine.

"They were both star students and child actors; they both are super-involved moms; and they are both incredibly close to their extended families outside of show business," claimed the insider.

The source also mentioned how Witherspoon inspired Portman to reignite her career efforts. 

The insider said, "Natalie has recently gotten back into producing after a long hiatus and you can chalk that up, at least in part, to the incredible run Reese has had since 'Big Little Lies'. She’s shown Natalie a way forward in this business that has made a real difference for her!"

Natalie Portman wasn't 'surprised' ex Benjamin Millepied moved on so quickly after divorce

In November 2024, an insider revealed to US Weekly that it did not come as a surprise to Natalie Portman that her ex-husband, Benjamin Millepied, moved on so quickly after their divorce.

The source said, "Natalie isn’t surprised that Benjamin has moved on because of how their relationship ended. She thought he’d move on pretty quickly."

The insider further said, "She hopes Benjamin is happy", adding that Portman learned about the pictures of Millepied kissing an unknown woman right before they were made public in October 2024.

This came months after the French dancer and Portman, 43, finalized their divorce in February that year.

A different source told the outlet that her ex-husband's romantic decisions did not impact Portman. The insider claimed, "Benjamin’s dating life doesn’t really have any bearing on Natalie. She’s super happy in her life right now and has been prioritizing family and friends."

Moreover, a source told Page Six, "Natalie doesn’t really care who Benjamin is dating. She moved on a long time ago."

Portman and Milliepied’s marriage troubles made headlines in June 2023 after reports claimed that they were fighting to save their union after the 'Black Swan' actress came to know about her husband's affair with climate activist Camille Etienne.

A source said at the time, "They have not split and are trying to work things out. Ben is doing everything he can to get Natalie to forgive him."

Portman and Millepied met in 2009 on the set of 'Black Swan', for which he did the choreography. They got engaged in 2010 and married in 2012. They share two children - Aleph and Amalia.