Lena Dunham has issued an apology on Twitter, after drawing criticism for defending a ‘Girls’ writer who was accused of rape.
Last week, ‘Passengers’ actress Aurora Perrineau accused Murray Miller of raping her in 2012, when she was 17, a claim he has “categorically and vehemently” denied.
On Saturday (18 November), Lena and her fellow ‘Girls’ showrunner Jenni Konner issued a joint statement defending Miller, who they’ve known for “half a decade”.
“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,” they wrote. “We stand by Murray and this is all we’ll be saying about this issue.”
Following an online backlash, Lena has now tweeted an apology for the statement.
It reads: “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 publicly 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 regret this decision with every fiber of our being.
“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 apologise to any women who have been disappointed.”
This is not the first time Lena has had to apologise after making an ill-judged public statement and 2016 saw her issue a statement via Instagram after making comments about Odell Beckham Jr in her Lenny newsletter.
Three months later, in December, Lena said sorry again after an episode of her podcast included a flippant comment about “wishing” she’d had an abortion.