Lena Dunham Apologizes for Defending 'Girls' Writer From Accusations of Sexual Assault

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

Lena Dunham has apologized for comments she made supporting Girls writer Murray Miller, who has been accused of sexually assaulting actress Aurora Perrineau.

On Friday, after the claims against Miller were made public, Dunham took to Twitter to support him on behalf of herself and Girls executive producer Jenni Konner, saying, "During the windfall of deeply necessary accusations over the last few months in Hollywood, we have been thrilled to see so many women's voices heard and dark experiences in this industry justified. It's a hugely important time of change and, like every feminist in Hollywood and beyond, we celebrate. But 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 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year."

Dunham was criticized widely for her statement.

On Saturday, she released an apology on Twitter, saying, "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."

Read Dunham's full statement below.

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 publically (sic) 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 have been given the gift of powerful voices and by speaking out we were putting our thumb on the scale and it was wrong. 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 apologize to any women who have been disappointed.

Shortly after posting her statement, Dunham deleted her tweet. Below is a screenshot of the original tweet.

A few minutes after deleting the tweet, Dunham reposted her statement.

Nov. 18, 4:42 p.m. Updated with news that Dunham deleted her statement.

Nov. 18, 5:07 p.m. Updated with Dunham's re-uploaded tweet.