Donald Glover’s representative has confirmed he was joking when he recently claimed Lena Dunham used the N-word on the set of Girls.
While presenting writer/producer Paul Simms with an honorary prize at the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards on Sunday, the “Atlanta” actor recalled working with Dunham during his two-episode stint on “Girls” in 2013.
In his speech, he joked that Dunham used the N-word to refer to Simms in one of their conversations.
Dunham’s reps issued a statement to multiple outlets insisting she would never use such a word.
“Donald Glover told a joke referencing Lena Dunham for last night’s WGA Awards,” the rep said. “It included, for effect, language Lena never used, nor would use.”
In response, a rep for Glover later confirmed in an email to The Los Angeles Times that his comments were just a joke.
During the awards show, the actor recalled asking Dunham for her take on Simms, who executive produced both Girls and Atlanta.
“I asked Lena… ‘Hey, what made you decide to work with Paul?’ And she goes, ‘Honestly, this n#### let’s me do whatever I want,'” he said. “I remember thinking two things: ‘One, Lena is using the N-word extremely liberal with me. Who does she think she is, Chevy Chase? And two, that’s the kind of producer I want.'”
Earlier in this speech, the “Solo: A Star Wars Story” star made a joke about his “Community” co-star Chase, insinuating he made the same racial slur when they worked together on the sitcom.
Reports arose in 2012 suggesting Chase used the N-word on set and swiftly apologized to his co-stars.