Huckabee denies criticizing actor Portman

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Friday denied he was criticizing actress Natalie Portman when he suggested she was glamorizing the idea of having children outside of marriage.

Huckabee, considering a run for president, earlier this week complained about the perception of celebrities having children while unmarried. Portman, who won an Oscar for "Black Swan," is expecting a child with fiance Benjamin Millepied.

"One of the things that is troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, 'Hey look, we're having children, we're not married, but we're having these children, and they're doing just fine,' " Huckabee told radio host Michael Medved on Monday. "But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year."

Friday, Huckabee accused the "Hollywood media" of distorting comments he said were more about society and not Portman. "My comments were about the statistical reality that most single moms are very poor," Huckabee said in a statement. A Portman publicist did not respond to requests for comment. - AP