Comedienne Lena Dunham apologized over the weekend after coming to the defense of a writer for her HBO show "Girls" who was accused of sexual assault.
The Wrap broke the news Friday that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating Murray Miller after actress Aurora Perrineau accused him of raping her in 2012, when she was 17 years old. Perrineau alleges that she woke to Miller having sex with her without her consent after a night out drinking.
When the Hollywood Reporter asked her for comment, Dunham and fellow showrunner Jenni Konner defended Miller, saying the accusation is false and they stand by their employee.
Dunham wrote that she is "thrilled" by the recent trend of Hollywood women speaking out about sexual assault, but argued that "during every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets."
"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 three percent of assault cases that are misreported every year," Dunham and Konner said in a statement. "It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed. We stand by Murray and this is all we'll be saying about this issue."
On Twitter, Dunham added that she has a policy of standing by those who have helped her in the past.
I believe in a lot of things but the first tenet of my politics is to hold up the people who have held me up, who have filled my world with love.
— 💎 Lena Dunham 💎 (@lenadunham) November 17, 2017
Dunham's comments conflict with her previous statements calling for women to be believed when they allege sexual assault and arguing that women "don't lie about rape."
It takes Hollywood far too long to believe survivors, and even longer to stop defending the men who make the money. A simple and sad truth.
— 💎 Lena Dunham 💎 (@lenadunham) July 12, 2015
Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don't lie about: rape.
— 💎 Lena Dunham 💎 (@lenadunham) August 4, 2017
By Saturday evening, Dunham apologized for her defense of Miller in a Twitter statement.
"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," she wrote.
— 💎 Lena Dunham 💎 (@lenadunham) November 19, 2017