I know I couldn’t be friends with Lena Dunham. I knew girls/women like her in college, and they were absolutely the worst. But here’s what I ask myself sometimes: would I even be able to handle Lena in small doses, like as a casual acquaintance? I don’t think I would be able to even do that. After five minutes, I would end up losing my temper and bitching her out over something dumb and problematic. So how is that Jenni Konner managed to not only be Lena’s closest friend for more than a decade, but also her producing partner, writing partner and business partner? Is Jenni Konner just like Lena, or does Jenni Konner simply have excess reserves of patience and the ability to see past a lot of bulls–t? I don’t know. But I do think Jenni has had enough. A few days ago, Konner and Dunham announced their professional split:
It’s the end of an era. Girls and Camping creators and longtime friends Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner have split as producing partners ahead of the December expiration date of their joint overall deal with HBO for their A Casual Romance Productions banner. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Dunham and Konner are in talks for individual overall deals with the premium cable network.
Sources say that the duo, who jointly executive produce HBO’s upcoming Jennifer Garner comedy series Camping, will be taking a break from their partnership to work on other projects. It’s unclear how long the pair will remain apart. Dunham and Konner have multiple projects in the works together under their soon-to-expire deal with HBO in addition to a feature film that falls outside of their TV pact. (Details on those projects are being kept under wraps.)
“We have had one of the most significant relationships together in our adult lives and we respect each other’s choices. While our interests are pulling us in different directions right now, we are excited about our current work and are firmly committed to the projects we have together. HBO has been our home for quite some time and we look forward to continuing there as we both move forward,” Dunham and Konner said Tuesday in a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
While Dunham and Konner’s HBO deal does not expire until December, the decision was made to split early as Camping — written and exec produced by Dunham and Konner — has already wrapped production on its initial run of eight episodes.
My immediate vibe was “oooh, I bet there’s some behind-the-scenes drama and it just hasn’t spilled out yet.” But Konner attended a panel discussion yesterday and she cited the fact that it’s already been eight years of producing for their company and “That’s really long for a collaboration and we just want to do different things. There’s no drama. It’s just work. It’s just the creative process.” So what do you think? I think that Lena Dunham is a sinking ship and people around her and looking for the exits. But honestly, that’s wishful thinking on my part.
CB mentioned these photos, below, of Konner and Jennifer Garner at yesterday’s panel discussion. One, if Konner & Dunham are still A-OK to do Camping together, why was Lena not at this panel discussion? Two, do you think Garner is Team Konner because Lena is a maybe-sinking-ship?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.
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