Moby penned a public apology to Natalie Portman on Saturday, days after the actress contested Moby’s recollection of their relationship in his new book Then It Fell Apart.
“As some time has passed I’ve realized that many of the criticisms leveled at me regarding my inclusion of Natalie in Then It Fell Apart are very valid,” Moby wrote on Instagram.
“I also fully recognize that it was truly inconsiderate of me to not let her know about her inclusion in the book beforehand, and equally inconsiderate for me to not fully respect her reaction. I have a lot of admiration for Natalie, for her intelligence, creativity, and animal rights activism, and I hate that I might have caused her and her family distress.”
In Then It Fell Apart, Moby claims he first met Portman when she was 20 – she was actually 18 at the time in 1999 – and the two had a “brief, innocent, and consensual romantic involvement,” as he later described it in an Instagram post following the controversy.
However, Portman said of Moby’s remembrance in a recent interview, “I was surprised to hear that he characterized 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.”
After Portman’s remarks, Moby reiterated that he and Portman dated and posted “corroborating photo evidence” of the pair together. “It hurts to be lied about, especially as I’ve always respected her, and I thought we were friends. But I’ve been receiving anonymous threats of violence from her fans, and it’s affecting my business and my health,” Moby wrote of Portman’s denials.
However on Saturday, after days of criticism and reflection, Moby apologized “to Natalie, as well as the other people I wrote about in Then It Fell Apart without telling them beforehand.”
“I tried to treat everyone I included in Then It Fell Apart with dignity and respect, but nonetheless it was truly inconsiderate for me to not let them know before the book was released,” Moby wrote.
“Also I accept that given the dynamic of our almost 14 year age difference I absolutely should’ve acted more responsibly and respectfully when Natalie and I first met almost 20 years ago.”