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Lena Dunham blames comments about Odell Beckham Jr on her insecurities after they spark a backlash

Actress also defended the comments as being an example of her sense of humour

Olivia Blair
Saturday 03 September 2016 17:52 BST
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Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham has blamed comments she made about the American Football star Odell Beckham Jr ignoring her on her “own insecurities” after they prompted criticism.

Dunham interviewed the comedian Amy Schumer for the latest edition of her and Jenni Konner’s feminist newsletter Lenny. During the interview the pair spoke about attending this year’s prestigious Met Gala, an event which it appears neither of them particularly enjoyed.

The Girls creator told Schumer she was sat next to New York Giants player Beckham Jr. who she accused of ignoring her claiming he formed a judgement of her based on her appearance.

“I was sat next to Odell Beckham Jr. and it was so amazing because it was like he looked at me and he determined I was not the shape of a woman by his standards. He was like ‘That’s a marshmallow. That’s a child. That’s a dog’ It wasn’t mean – he just seemed confused.

“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 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’.

Odell Beckham Jr

Following publication of the interview on Friday, some people on Twitter supported Beckham Jr. and criticised Dunham for assuming his thought process.

The 30-year-old responded to the backlash later on Friday, blaming her comments on her own insecurities and defending them as being part of her sense of humour.

A representative for Beckham Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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