After claiming he dated Natalie Portman nearly 20 years ago and posting photos of them together after she denied it, musician Moby has offered the actress an apology.
In an Instagram post on Saturday, Moby said he’s realized that some of the heat he’s received regarding his depiction of their contact in his recent memoir is “very valid.”
He apologized to Portman for writing about her without her prior knowledge.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he wrote.
In the apology, the 53-year-old did not backpedal on the claim that they dated, which he wrote about in Then It Fell Apart.
In the book, released earlier this month, the musician recalled meeting Portman after a concert. He claimed she was 20 at the time; however, she was only 18.
READ MORE: Moby responds after Natalie Portman denies ever dating him
Portman, 37, denied dating Moby in an interview and described him as “a much older man being creepy” after she had just graduated high school.
Controversy erupted after Moby shared pictures of the two together on Instagram in an attempt to prove his story. He has since deleted the photos.
“I like Natalie,” he said in one post. “And I respect her intelligence and activism. But, to be honest, I can’t figure out why she would actively misrepresent the truth about our (albeit brief) involvement.”
Moby said he’s received “threats of violence” from the Oscar-winning actress’s fans in the wake of the conflict.
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In his Instagram post on Saturday, Moby also addressed criticism of the age gap between the two.
“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,” he said.
— With files from Adam Wallis, Global News