NOT FUNNY

Donald Glover Clarifies Lena Dunham Didn’t Actually Drop the N-Word

Dunham’s former co-star cracked a joke at an awards ceremony Sunday that missed the mark.

Donald Glover made a joke at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday about Lena Dunham using the N-word while they were filming Girls, and it apparently landed with a thud. During his speech, Glover recounted a moment on set when he asked Dunham why she was willing to work with Paul Simms, a writer who was being presented with an award on Sunday. “[Dunham] goes, ‘Honestly, this n---- lets me do whatever I want,’” Glover said. “I remember thinking two things: One, Lena is using the N-word extremely liberal with me... And two, that’s the kind of producer I want.” The joke was met with confused laughter from the audience. A representative for Dunham later said: “Donald Glover told a joke referencing Lena Dunham for last night’s WGA Awards. It included, for effect, language Lena never used, nor would use.” Glover’s team also backed up the claim. Earlier during the awards ceremony, Glover joked about comedian Chevy Chase using racist language.