Lena Dunham’s life is now so fabulous, she’s looking for help to source new angst-ridden material from struggling writers who are being asked to undergo “therapy sessions” with her, sources exclusively tell Page Six.
After HBO ordered a fourth season of “Girls,” producers started interviewing potential writers to help create new material for the hit show. But one writer says the move is sparking an angry backlash: “It is offensive. Now that Lena’s life is so fabulous, she needs ideas and expects writers to sit in ‘therapy’ sessions with her so she can use them for material with minimal credit.”
Wrap TV critic Tim Molloy was this week berated for daring to ask why Dunham is naked so often on the show, and thin-skinned “Girls” producers now seem to believe that any journalists who ask questions about Dunham are harboring a tortured, festering grudge.
Despite Page Six’s staunch support of the show, which kicks off its third season Sunday night, an insider fired back when we asked about the therapy sessions: “I don’t know who your source is but . . . they seem to have some kind of grudge against the series. Why else would they want to malign it so? I don’t know why there are people out there who love taking pot shots at the series.”
“Girls” executive producer Jenni Konner told us in a statement: “Our hiring process is no different from any other television show. Each season, we consider new talent to keep the story areas fresh and the room dynamic and invigorating. I have no idea what a ‘therapy session’ with Lena is but it sounds fun and I’d like to try one myself if someone can explain it to me.”
An HBO spokesperson added, “To make the show current, they are simply looking for young writers, specifically diverse, not because Lena’s life is fabulous, but because we do a show with a young demographic and want to make sure we stay current and have interesting stories to tell. They want to hear from new voices. And everyone they hire would be WGA and would get credit as per the union criteria. This is about . . . hearing from some new voices.”