Natalie Portman has a great reason for missing out on the Oscars this year — and all of the drama that ensued. While many reports said that she wouldn't attend because she was pregnant, she actually wasn't pregnant that night. Turns out, she gave birth to her second child, a girl, with husband Benjamin Millepied a week before the ceremony on February 22.
"Due to my pregnancy, I am unable to attend the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards," Portman said before the awards shows. "I feel so lucky to be honored among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends."
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People reports that Portman and Millepied named their new arrival Amalia. The two also have a 5-year-old son, Aleph. The couple met on the set of Portman's 2010 film Black Swan, and later married in 2012. He was the movie's choreographer and has worked as both a dancer and the dance director of the Paris Opera Ballet.
"Mother and baby are happy and healthy," Portman's rep told People.
Without public social media feeds, it was easy for Portman to keep a low profile during her pregnancy. There were no bump updates on Instagram, excited Tweets, or any other way for fans to keep up with the star's progress.
Instead, eagle-eyed fans took to closely examining Portman's red carpet appearances to see just how much she'd grown. She did give the world a peek at her progress in Vanity Fair's 2017 Hollywood Issue, where she recreated Demi Moore's now-infamous cover. While Moore posed completely nude, Portman sat with a shawl. Annie Leibovitz captured both photos for the magazine.
Portman announced her second pregnancy in September 2016. Her 2017 projects include several films, though not the seven releases she had originally scheduled for the year.
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