Lena Dunhams Controversies: Facing Public Backlash

She's an award winning director and writer, receiving two and several Awards for her most well known project, TV series Girls. 

However, aside from her creative endeavours, has made a habit of hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons after a series of controversies. 

Now, releasing her memoir Famesick, the star is reflecting on chronic illness, fame and sex, in a hope to be better understood. 

Speaking frankly in an interview with The , ahead of the book's release, Lena confessed that she has always had a habit of 'rubbing people up the wrong way' since she was small. 

Asked why there has been such an 'intense' loathing towards her, she explained: 'I’m going to say something that sounds like a cop-out, but I can only phrase it this way: I have annoyed people since I was so small. I was an annoying kid. I was a tryhard. I was loud. 

'I didn’t always know how to move through space with other kids in a way that wasn’t a little off or disruptive.'

Meanwhile, her role in Girls caused controversy due to its depiction of female sexuality. 

She added: 'I guess what I’m saying is that the feedback that I got, which was like, This person is an eyesore — that’s how I perceived myself.'

Over the years, Lena has frequently landed herself in hot water with her controversial statements, including saying she 'wished' she had had an abortion and describing herself as a 'sexual predator' to her younger sister. 

The star also received a massive backlash after she defended Girls writer Murray Miller after he was accused of rape by actress Aurora Perrineau, which she later apologised for. 

Releasing her new memoir, Lena has claimed she 'doesn't like revenge writing' and is at peace with the fact some people will never understand her, and they don't need to. 

Here we take a look back at the times Lena has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.  

Childhood sexual interactions (2014)  

In her 2014 memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, Lena ignited outrage when she revealed aged seven she had looked at her then one-year-old sibling Cyrus Grace's vagina out of curiosity. 

Reflecting on the experience she likened herself to a 'sexual predator' and said she bribed her sibling to kiss her.

She penned: 'One day, as I sat in our driveway in Long Island playing with blocks and buckets, my curiosity got the best of me.

'Grace was sitting up, babbling and smiling, and I leaned down between her legs and carefully spread open her vagina. She didn’t resist and when I saw what was inside I shrieked.

'My mother came running. “Mama, Mama! Grace has something in there!”

'My mother didn’t bother asking why I had opened Grace’s vagina. This was within the spectrum of things I did.

'She just got on her knees and looked for herself. It quickly became apparent that Grace had stuffed six or seven pebbles in there. My mother removed them patiently while Grace cackled, thrilled that her prank had been a success.'

Describing how she would bribe Grace to spend time with her, she wrote: 'As [Grace] grew, I took to bribing her for her time and affection: one dollar in quarters if I could do her makeup like a 'motorcycle chick.' Three pieces of candy if I could kiss her on the lips for five seconds.

'Whatever she wanted to watch on TV if she would just 'relax on me.' Basically, anything a sexual predator might to do woo a small suburban girl I was trying.'

After the book's release, Lena later issued a vehement denial that she had abused her sibling and apologized for the 'insensitive' use of the term 'sexual predator' to describe her actions.

In a statement to Time magazine, Lena said she was 'dismayed' over how the website Truth Revolt interpreted the essay.

'First and foremost, I want to be very clear that I do not condone any kind of abuse under any circumstances.

'Childhood sexual abuse is a life-shattering event for so many, and I have been vocal about the rights of survivors. 

'If the situations described in my book have been painful or triggering for people to read, I am sorry, as that was never my intention. 

'I am also aware that the comic use of the term “sexual predator” was insensitive, and I’m sorry for that as well,' she added. 

She also confirmed that Grace, who later came out as transmasculine nonbinary and changed their name to Cyrus, is her best friend and supported her publishing the childhood memory in her book. 

Sexual assault allegation (2014)

Elsewhere in the book the star also detailed a sexual assault she experienced in college by a person she called 'Barry'. 

Lena described the night she was walked home by the acquaintance – a mustachioed Republican who hosted his own campus radio show.

While the star admitted her memory of the night is hazy, having been drunk and high on cocaine and Xanax, she remained steadfast that she did not consent to having sex with Barry, who was aggressive and twice tried to pull off a condom during the assault.

However, she said it took her a long time to process the attack as a rape, and reach a point in her life where she was comfortable enough to write about it and share it in her book.

Following the book's release, some publications, including conservative websites Breitbart and National Review, sought to identify the Oberlin alumnus who raped the writer, using details from the book to narrow down the list of possible attackers.

Both Brietbart and National Review were led by their research to a man named Barry, who was a prominent campus Republican when Dunham attended the institution. 

They looked for men named Barry, since Lena did not explicitly state that the attacker's name had been changed, as she had done for other stories in the book.

The man Breitbart identified as 'Barry One' (to protect his real name) vehemently denied ever meeting Dunham, and says his reputation has now been tarnished because of the book.

He told the National Review that the experience of being connected to the attack was the 'most unfortunate coincidence of my life'.

Lena was then forced to respond to the claims, writing an essay on Buzzfeed to address the reports claiming to have identified a man named 'Barry'. 

The star clarified that 'Barry' was just a pseudonym she designed to protect the identity of her attacker, who she never meant to identify in the story. 

Instead, she said she wrote the essay to bring comfort to other victims like herself and that she intends to continue raising awareness of the issue of sexual assault on college campuses.

Abortion comment (2016)

Two years later, Lena was forced to apologise after she made an incredibly insensitive comment about abortion on her Women of the Hour podcast. 

In a shocking statement she said: 'I still haven't had an abortion, but I wish I had.'

Describing the experiences of loved ones who had had abortions and a visit she made to Texas Planned Parenthood, she commended the 'bravery' and 'self-knowledge' of women who have had abortions, adding that she has realised her need to put her own stigma surrounding the issue 'in the garbage'.

Her comments were widely condemned by women who had had terminations, who branded them 'sickening'.

After initially remaining silent in the face of their criticism, she later took to Instagram explaining she had made a 'sizeable donation' to Abortion Funds, which helps women pay for terminations.

She shared a picture of the the word 'choice' written in white chalk on a blackboard on the social networking site, together with a long apology for what she described as a 'distasteful joke'.

'My latest podcast episode was meant to tell a multifaceted story about reproductive choice in America, to explain the many reasons women do or don't choose to have children and what bodily autonomy really means,' she wrote.

'I'm so proud of the medley of voices in the episode. I truly hope a distasteful joke on my part won't diminish the amazing work of all the women who participated.' 

She went on to say she had adopted a 'delusional girl' persona, but had not intended to 'trivialize the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy'. 

Odell Beckham Jr Met Ball comment (2016) 

Also in 2016, Lena was forced to explain herself after she claimed NFL player Odell Beckham Jr ignored her at the Met Ball because he didn't find her attractive.

After they sat beside each other at the prestigious event, she claimed that he determined she was 'not the shape of a woman by his standards'. 

She said he was glued to his phone and despite not speaking with him throughout the evening, she insists he made her feel like a 'marshmallow' and a 'dog'.

Talking to Amy Schumer, who she was interviewing for her Lenny Letters series, Lena said the sports star ignored her in favour of his phone.

'The vibe was very much like, “Do I want to f*** it? Is it wearing a… yep, it’s wearing a tuxedo. I’m going to go back to my cell phone".

'It was like we were forced to be together, and he literally was scrolling Instagram rather than have to look at a woman in a bow tie.

'I was like, "This should be called the Metropolitan Museum of Getting Rejected by Athletes".' 

Taking to Twitter a few days later with somewhat of an apology she penned: 'My story about him was clearly (to me) about my own insecurities as an average-bodied woman at a table of supermodels & athletes.

'It's not an assumption about who he is or an expectation of sexual attention.'

'It's my sense of humor, which has kept me alive for 30 years,' she quipped.

However she appeared to still take a mild passive aggressive dig at Khloe Kardashian's former love interest when she stated: '@OBJ_3 [Odell Beckham] is talented, stylish, seems super awesome and wasn't into chatting with me at a fancy party.'

Defending Murray Miller  (2017)

In 2017 Lena found herself the subject of a major backlash again when she and her Girls co-showrunner Jenni Konner publicly defended Girls writer Murray Miller after he was accused of rape by actress Aurora Perrineau. 

In a statement defending Murray, Lena inferred that Aurora was lying about the alleged assault, which she said happened in 2012, when she was 17 and Miller was 35, according to The Wrap.

Lena and Jenni claimed to have 'insider knowledge' that the accusation was false, as they penned: 'While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year.'

After massive backlash on social media – including from actress/feminist activist Asia Argento – Lena backpedaled and issued a subsequent statement apologising over her first take on the situation involving Murray, who has denied the claims made by Perrineau.

'Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship with the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case,' Lena wrote November 18. '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.'

'Hipster racism' allegations (2017)

Lena was also accused of 'hipster racism' by one of her writers for her weekly feminist newsletter Lenny Letter. 

Zinzi Clemmons took to Twitter as she explained she could no longer work for the outlet because of Lena's alleged disrespect for women of colour.

'It is time for women of color – black women in particular – to divest from Lena Dunham,' Zinzi wrote.

'She cannot have our words if she cannot respect us.'

Zinzi said she 'ran in the same circles' as people like Lena and fellow Girls star Jemima Kirke while she was attending Brown University in the mid-2000s.

She said Lena and the women in her circle – whom she referred to as 'wealthy, with parents who are influential in the art world' – were notorious at the time for 'their well-known racism'.

'I'd call their strain 'hipster racism', which typically uses sarcasm as a cover, and in the end, it looks a lot like gaslighting--"It's just a joke. Why are you overreacting?" Zinzi wrote.

She claimed that one woman in the group was 'known to use the N word in conversation in order to be provocative, and if she was ever called on it, she would say "It's just a joke". I was often in the same room with her, but I never spoke to her, only watched her from far in anxiety and horror.'

Zinzi explained that she was appalled after Lena voiced her support of Murray Miller and said that the best way to show her dissatisfaction was to not support Lena in any way.

'Let's hold Lena accountable, and to me that means sacrificing some comfort and a little bit of cash, in this moment,' she added.

Lena did not directly respond to the post. But hours before it went up, she posted an apology for her public defence of Miller.

Cheating scandal (2017) 

Just this week, Lena revealed that she cheated on music producer Jack Antonoff during their five-year relationship, whilst she had suspicions about his close relationship with 'a teen pop star'.

In her new memoir, the star wrote that she and the music producer had their 'worst-ever fight' after her hysterectomy surgery in November 2017, which resulted in a rehab stint for her addiction to post-surgery pain medication. 

She and Jack then paused their relationship as she went on tour.

She explained that during this time, she ended up reconnecting with a childhood friend and ex named Nick, but admitted she should have been paying closer attention to Jack, who had been spending extended time in the studio with a 'teen pop star'.

For years, rumours had been swirling that Jack was involved romantically with Lorde, but the two have always denied they have had a romantic relationship.

Lena wrote how 'up until now, I had seen myself as some kind of half wife, and so I had observed wifely code but the events of the past few weeks had changed the game, and it was every woman for herself, just trying to survive'.

Things escalated as the actress went on a date and took a cab back to Nick's apartment, where she wrote that she told Nick: 'I've been through something awful. I don't want to talk about it, but I need you to f*** me and I need you to do all the work.'

The two continued sleeping together for two weeks while Jack was on tour and they even got 'engaged' after her split from the musician, but ultimately ended up breaking up after Lena's rehab stint in 2018.

Dunham also addressed infidelity rumours from Jack's side, revealing that her partner had been spending time in the studio with someone she only refers to as a 'teen pop star'.

She even wrote that the star was 'weeping into Jack's lap' when she came home one day.

Lena explained that whilst she 'flirted' with others during their relationship, 'I had observed careful boundaries, never taking it far enough that I could be declared out of bounds.

'If I’d wanted to look, perhaps I may have seen that Jack was not observing them as closely as I was. I wasn’t paying attention, but the internet sure was, and they made some pretty amazing PowerPoints on the issue, so convincing they had me rethinking events that I myself had been present for.'

Giving up her dog Lamby (2017)

Lena came under fire when she decided to give her beloved dog Lamby back to the shelter, after his challenging behaviour became too much to bear. 

In March 2017 she explained to followers why she had to give up the pet, writing: 'Lamby suffered terrible abuse as a pup that made having him in a typical home environment dangerous to him and others- we needed to be responsible to ourselves, our neighbors and especially our beloved boy.

'Jack [Antanoff, her then boyfriend] and I will miss him forever but sometimes when you love something you have to let it go (especially when it requires tetanus shots and stitches.)'

Lena was directly referencing the time in 2014 she shared (then deleted) a snap of her blood-stained panties after Lamby viciously bit her rear end.

However, Vincent Spinola, the founder and director of BARC [the animal shelter], responded to Lena's statements, revealing to DailyMail.com that the dog showed no signs of problems or aggression at the shelter.

He also added that when they called to check in on how the Lamby was settling in to his new home, Lena never returned the shelter's call.

He penned: 'We are saddened to learn that Lena Dunham’s dog has been given away for showing aggressive behavior towards the actress in the month’s leading up to her surrendering the animal to a facility out of state.

'When the dog was here at BARC, where he lived with us for just under a month before he was adopted, he was mild mannered and very well behaved. There were no signs of bad temperament or any kind of aggression.'

Cultural appropriation allegations (2025) 

More recently, once again Lena's comments were taken the wrong way, as she was hit with accusations of 'cultural appropriation' for quipping she would 'take her hoops out' and 'fight' anyone slating her castmates.

The star, who previously bizarrely accused her college of cultural appropriation for serving sushi, was slated online for her response on how to deal with trolls.

She told Variety: 'If anybody has anything to say about any of my actors — I keep my mouth shut on most things these days, but try a b***h. I’m not playing around here. It’s the only time that I’m going to be taking my hoops out, ready to fight.'

The comment sparked immediate uproar as fans accused her of 'cosplaying a black woman' and 'still appropriating cultural references that aren't hers'.

One follower wrote: 'Can we send her back where ever she went for the last 15 years? Hoops? This girl had a show in Brooklyn with zero POC in it. That show was a fantasy in her own mind for a lot of reasons.'

Another typed: 'Sigh. I can’t wait until cosplaying a Black woman goes out of style.'

The comment seemed somewhat contradictory, after Lena spoke out after her alma mater Oberlin College's dining hall was accused of 'cultural appropriation' for serving the likes of sushi and Banh Mi sandwiches in 2016. 

Students began protesting the liberal Ohio college's incorporation of Asian cuisine on the cafeteria menu.

They found some dishes 'offensive' because it messed with the original recipe and felt 'wronged' by others for not tasting good.

'There are now big conversations at Oberlin about cultural appropriation and whether the dining hall sushi and Banh Mi disrespect certain cuisines,' Dunham told Food & Wine.

'The press reported it as, "How crazy are these Oberlin kids?" But to me, it was actually, "Right on".'