Lena Dunham Apologizes for Defending Girls Writer

Screen Rant

Lena Dunham Tweets Apology for Defending Girls Writer

By Ana Dumaraog

Published Nov 19, 2017

Lena Dunham goes back and forth on Twitter regarding her apology for defending Girls writer Murray Miller, who is accused of sexual assault.

Lena Dunham dials back her early statement taking the side of Girls writer/producer Murray Miller accused of sexual assault. News broke earlier this week that actress Aurora Perrineau had filed a police report alleging Girls writer and executive producer Murray Miller had assaulted her. Shortly after, Dunham and fellow Girls showrunner Jenni Konner released a statement in support of Miller.

Dunham's statement was criticized by man, much more so because Dunham is a self-proclaimed feminist who even chastised men in power taking advantage of women and those who enable them in an op-ed that she wrote for The New York Times, published just last month. After these criticisms, the actress took to her official Twitter to apologize, but even that was a complicated process.

Taking to her official Twitter, Dunham issued a statement saying that she has realized the error of her ways and took back her earlier statement. But after publishing the tweet, she deleted it altogether and it was not until almost 30 minutes later that she reposted it. In case she decides to take it down again, here's her statement:

"As feminists, we live and die by our politics, and believing women is the first choice we make every single day when we wake up. Therefore I never thought I would issue a statement publically (sic) supporting someone accused of sexual assault, but I naively believed it was important to share my perspective on my friend’s situation as it has transpired behind the scenes over the last few months. I now understand that it was absolutely the wrong time to come forward with such a statement and I am so sorry. We have been given the gift of powerful voices and by speaking out we were putting our thumb on the scale and it was wrong. We regret this decision with every fiber of our being.

Allison Williams and Lena Dunham sitting on a table in Girls

Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship to the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case. Every person and every feminist should be required to hear her. Under patriarchy, “I believe you” is essential. Until we are all believed, none of us will be believed. We apologize to any women who have been disappointed."

No reason was given why Dunham deleted her initial tweet but from the statement she wrote, it sounds like the actress is apologetic about her actions. However, many have pointed out that Dunham calls herself a feminist only when it is convenient. Others further pointed out that this isn't the first time the actress' actions and words are the direct opposite of what she says she believes.

It's unclear what will come of Perrineau's claims against Miller, but she is the latest person in Hollywood to come forward with accusations of sexual harassment and/or assault. This follows the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Brett Ratner, former DC Comics editor Eddie Berganza, Arrowverse producer Andrew Kreisberg, and One Tree Hill producer Mark Schwahn.