Lena Dunham Says She Was 'Sobbing' Over Book Publication: 'The Stuff in Those Pages Was Over'
Lena Dunham Says She Was 'Sobbing' Over Book Publication: 'The Stuff in Those Pages Was Over'
Cara Lynn ShultzWed, April 22, 2026 at 8:51 PM UTC
0
Lena Dunham shared a photo of herself crying following the publication of her memoir "Famesick"Credit: Lena Dunham/Instagram; Random House -
Lena Dunham reflected on her emotional journey while promoting her memoir Famesick and returning to her home in London
"Suddenly and surprisingly I was sobbing," the author said, sharing that she realized the part of her life detailed in Famesick "was over"
The memoir covers her rise to fame, health struggles and relationships
Lena Dunham shares she was "sobbing" in the car as she headed back to her new home in London following a stateside trip to promote her memoir Famesick.
"Last week was a whirlwind- marched through it all with as much purpose as I could, vowing hourly to be both boundaried and present, self-protective and open to connection," the Girls alum, 39, wrote in the caption for a carousel of pictures she posted to Instagram on April 21 that showed her through various stages of her life, in all of which she sported headphones.
Lena Dunham promotes her memoir "Famesick" in NYC on April 15, 2026Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty
As she explained, while traveling to the airport, "I put my headphones on, cranked up my current favorite woman with feelings anthem ('Stupid Bitches' by Grace Ives) and had one of those unstuck in time, 'did I just do acid by accident?' moments: I was every Lena who has ever worn headphones!"
She went on to explain that she relived moments from her past: "Lena at 23 in LA, taking Fountain to my first meeting with HBO. Lena at 8, my first Walkman blowing my mind. Lena at 25, 29, 33, watching a new city pass. Lena at 35 falling in love, Lena at 38 missing her parents. I was the Lena who wrote the book and the Lena who was scared to write the book. And then, finally, I was the Lena who has finished the book."
The realization that Famesick was in the rearview, she wrote, left her unexpectedly emotional.
"Suddenly and surprisingly I was sobbing (rarer than you'd think!) It was this big feeling that the story I'd been carrying around was not the story I was living. The stuff in those pages was over," she wrote about the memoir.
Advertisement
The book covers the decade in Dunham's life during which she rose to fame with the HBO hit Girls, had a relationship with Jack Antonoff, and struggled with health crises like endometriosis, which was so painful she underwent a hysterectomy at age 31.
"The only thing I could compare it to was when something feels interminable- and then… it passes," Dunham, now married to musician Luis Felber, wrote. "That's a sort of goodbye, isn't it? The real reason to lay down our definitive telling is so that we can move on."
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
She ended her post by thanking everyone who has welcomed the book with "such gentleness and care," sharing that they "made this great passing through possible. I am full of a very dense gratitude, a gratitude that has shifted something previously quite unshiftable."
"It's a feeling I wish for everyone I love, have loved, will love, don't know," Dunham concluded. "I love meeting you here, on the other side🥹♥️👋."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
