Rihanna is savage, and she didn't hold back when she stopped Natalie Portman on the street at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year — to give the actor a "confidence boost of a lifetime."
The pair met and went in for a huge hug in January when Rihanna, 36, told Portman, 43, she was one of the hottest people in Hollywood — ever.
Portman discussed their viral run-in on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on July 15.
"Listen, it's the confidence boost of a lifetime. It was really exactly what I needed at that moment in my life and she served it to me, and I'm forever grateful," Portman said. "I love her."
When Justin Sylvester, who was filling in for fourth hour co-host Jenna Bush Hager, said Rihanna was "piping hot," Portman agreed.
"I mean, she's the hottest," she said with a smile.
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The Oscar winner discussed the incident further on the July 15 episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
"I think every woman going through a divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad b----," she told Fallon, who got up from his seat and gave her a standing ovation.
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Portman filed for divorce from her ex-husband, Benjamin Millepied, in July 2023 after marrying in 2012. The pair met in 2010 when he choreographed "Black Swan," and they share two children together.
Fallon then played a clip of Rihanna and Portman's interaction in Paris, which started with a big hug.
"I love you," Portman said after the embrace.
"I'm a f------ fan," Rihanna replied.
"Are you kidding me!" Portman responded.
"You are one of the hottest b------ in Hollywood, forever," Rihanna said. "You do the most innocent look, and I'm like, 'Ugh!'"
Portman couldn't believe it: "Excuse me? I'm going to faint."
The pair went in for another hug, and Rihanna continued to fangirl.
"Yo, I don't get excited about anybody," she said. "But like, I f------ love you."
After playing the clip, Portman reached toward her eyes and then put her hand on her heart.
"It was a formative moment in my life," she said.
Portman and Millepied finalized their divorce in February, a representative for Portman confirmed to NBC News.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
