Lena Dunham under fire for turning up to 'Time's Up' Golden Globes meeting despite 'not being involved'

The Girls alum did manage to show up for a photo op though

Credit: Getty

Lena Dunham has faced some criticism of Hollywood figures over her appearance at the "Time's Up" initiative during the Golden Globes.

The Girls creator was seen in a group photo alongside some of the Hollywood actresses participating in "Time's Up," which aims to fight sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.

While more than 300 Hollywood actresses started the campaign, Dunham has been accused of not being one of them.

But that didn't stop her from showing up.

Dunham posted an image on her own Instagram - alongside actresses Laura Dern, Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Williams and more - saying, "“Humbled to stand alongside these amazing women and say #TIMESUP on systemic oppression, underrepresentation, discrimination, abuse and violence in all industries".

After Tessa Thompson posted the same image of Dunham, she responded to a user's comment about Dunham's presence in the photo.

“Lena was not anywhere present in our group during the countless hours of work for the last two months," Thompson commented before deleting the post. "We hosted an open house for actresses for red carpet messaging and Lena presence was a surprise to us all."

She added, “This is a time of reckoning. And for many, a re-education. So many women also have real work to do. I’m afraid it’s too nuanced a conversation to have on this platform. But I hear you, and know that your thoughts and words are not lost on me. It’s been discussed.”

On Tuesday, Thompson clarified her comments from the now-deleted post on Twitter, saying:

“I sometimes lack finesse in navigating social media. Hard to discuss issues with nuance there. A response I made to comments on an Instagram became fodder for a piece that I believe was designed to create conflict where there isn’t any,” Thompson wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “It’s perhaps more complex than that. But I, in no way, want to diminish Lena Dunham and her work, her voice, and her importance. We have spoken and she knows my heart. I feel a responsibility to women that have sometimes felt ignored, dismissed, and underrepresented. They are my beacons. I regret that my words were misinterpreted to distract from the most important thing: The Time’s Up campaign is for everyone, in all capacities, contributions big and small. It doesn’t belong to any one. It is for us all. The beauty of this huge collaboration has been a group of countless committed people who have come together for a shared purpose. To create change. And it is such a powerful thing. I stand, humbled, with everyone involved. Linked not ranked.”

Dunham said in a statement to Indiewire that she couldn't attend the preparations due to "highly personal reasons" and was invited by a "close friend."

She added, "I’ve worked with Tessa and respect her artistry and admire her consistent candour.”

Dunham and Girls co-creator Jenni Konner came under fire in late 2017 when they defended the show's writer Murray Miller who has faced an accusation of sexual assault from actress Aurora Perrineau. In their initial response, lawyers for Miller denied the allegations against him and claimed: “After being contacted several weeks ago by lawyers who—on Ms Perrineau’s behalf—sought substantial monetary damages from him". They later issued an apology saying that claim was incorrect — and that Perrineau never requested damages.

In a statement, Dunham and Konner said of Murray: “During every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets. We believe, having worked closely with him for more than half a decade, that this is the case with Murray Miller. 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. 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.”

After receiving backlash, Dunham apologised for “naively (believing) it was important to share my perspective on my friend’s situation.”