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Lena Dunham apologises after standing by Girls writer

Photo credit: John Lamparski / Stringer / Getty Images
Photo credit: John Lamparski / Stringer / Getty Images

From Digital Spy

Lena Dunham has apologised after a statement she released defending Girls writer Murray Miller from sexual assault accusations was criticised by people on social media.

Miller served as a writer and executive producer on the hit HBO show between 2013 and 2017, and is currently being investigated by Los Angeles police after actress Aurora Perrineau accused him of assault.

The writer has "categorically and vehemently" denied the claims, and earlier this week, Dunham and fellow showrunner Jenni Konner released a joint statement, saying that they were standing by Miller and that they were "confident" this accusation was "one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year".

Photo credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Photo credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

The statement was met with criticism from users on social media for defending her friend after previously publicly declaring that women don't lie about being sexually assaulted:

Now, Dunham has reacted to the backlash by apologising and saying she and Konner "regret" their original decision to release the statement.

"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 a friend's situation as it has transpired behind the scenes over the last few months," she said on Twitter.

"I now understand that it was absolutely the wrong time to come forward with such a statement and I am so sorry."