Lena Dunham apologizes again for defending accused rapist: 'I did something inexcusable'


Another day, another Lena Dunham apology.
The Girls creator published an essay in The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday focused on her defense of a Girls writer and producer who was accused of rape. Last year, actress Aurora Perrineau alleged that Murray Miller raped her in 2012 when she was 17 and he was 35, The Wrap reported at the time. She filed a police report but Miller, who denied the allegation, was ultimately not charged. When the report first surfaced, Dunham released a statement standing behind Miller and suggesting she knew the accusation wasn't true because of "insider information" she had, per Variety.
But in her Wednesday essay, Dunham admitted she never had any insider information at all. Instead, she had "blind faith in a story that kept slipping and changing and revealed itself to mean nothing at all." Dunham says defending Miller, someone she "had loved as a brother," was "inexcusable," adding, "There are few acts I could ever regret more in this life." She released her statement coming from a place of wanting to "feel my workplace and my world were safe," she says, which was "a privilege in and of itself."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dunham had previously apologized for her defense of Miller and said in an interview with The Cut last month that she wrote her statement while "high as a f---ing kite" recovering from surgery.
Speaking directly to Perrineau, Dunham writes that she will "always work to right that wrong," also thanking the actress for making her "a better woman and a better feminist." Read the full essay at The Hollywood Reporter.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada