'I have nothing but respect for your talent': Natalie Portman issues public apology after being called out by Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson is not happy with Natalie Portman.

The 38-year-old singer and designer has taken to social media to clear up any “confusion” Portman may have after being named dropped by the Oscar-winner in a recent article.

Earlier this week, USA Today published an interview with Portman ahead of her new movie, “Vox Lux.” In the film, the 37-year-old actor plays a troubled pop star and talked about growing up in an era where pop music was dominated by provocative artists like Madonna.

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Portman said she “felt lucky” to grow up listening to Madonna who she called “brazen and disobedient.” However, the “Black Swan” star says she was troubled when pop music shifted, and presented female artists as sexual objects falling into one of two categories: Virgin or vixen.

“I remember being a teenager, and there was Jessica Simpson on the cover of a magazine saying ‘I’m a virgin’ while wearing a bikini, and I was confused. Like, I don’t know what this is trying to tell me as a woman, as a girl,” Portman said, referencing the pop star’s commitment to remain a virgin until marriage.

While the article doesn’t delve further into her thoughts about Simpson, the 38-year-old mom took to Instagram to express her dismay at Portman’s comments.

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“I was disappointed this morning when I read that I ‘confused’ you by wearing a bikini in a published photo of me taken when I was still a virgin in 1999,” Simpson began. “As public figures, we both know our image is not totally in our control at all times, and that the industry we work in often tries to define us and box us in.”

Simpson continued that she was raised to “honour” the ways women choose to express themselves.

“I believed then, and I believe now, that being sexy in a bikini and being proud of my body are not synonymous with having sex,” she said.

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The star, who is currently pregnant with her third child, writes that she prides herself in being a role model and encourages all women to “look however they want, wear whatever they want and have sex or not have sex with whomever they want. The power lies within us as individuals.”

Simpson ended by encouraging Portman to refrain from judging other women or shame them for their choices by adding, “In this era of Time’s Up and all the great work you have done for women, I encourage you to do the same.”

The same day, Portman responded to Simpson directly via Instagram, and apologized for mentioning her specifically.

“Thank you for your words,” she began. “I completely agree with you that a woman should be allowed to dress however she likes and behave however she likes and not be judged.”

Portman went on to explain, “I only meant to say I was confused – as a girl coming of age in the public eye around the same time – by the media’s mixed messages about how girls and women are supposed to behave.”

At the time, Portman was celebrating the release of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” and had already a career in Hollywood as a child actor in films such as “Leon: The Professional” and “Heat” starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

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“I didn’t mean to shame you and I’m sorry for any hurt my words may have caused,” she continued. “I have nothing but respect for your talent and your voice that you use to encourage and empower women all over the globe.”

Portman later spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the mix-up once again, “It is a mistake to say anyone’s name. I could have made my message without naming.”

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