‘Girls’ Just Wanna Have Funds! Lena Dunham’s Net Worth and How She Made It
Lena Dunham became well known for being “a voice of her generation” with her HBO show Girls. While her character Hannah Horvath constantly struggled with money, we can assume the actor-writer-director probably never had those problems. With a hit show that ran for six seasons under her belt (plus rich and connected parents to back her up), Lena Dunham’s net worth has never really been in jeopardy.
Nowadays, Dunham is almost equally well known for her personal life—her battle with endometriosis has been well-documented on her social media. However, Dunham is returning to filmmaking with this year’s Sharp Stick. Now that we are seeing her career’s future, let’s look at where she’s been!
Here is everything you need to know about Lena Dunham’s net worth and how she got there!
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How did Lena Dunham get her start?
When Girls —Lena Dunham’s HBO show— first came out, the cast received a lot of attention for being nepotism babies. The four main cast members had their privileged backgrounds scrutinized: Zosia Mamet for being the daughter of playwright and screenwriter David Mamet, Allison Williams for being the daughter of news anchor Brian Williams, Jemima Kirke for being the daughter of Bad Company’s Simon Kirke, and Dunham herself for being the daughter of Laurie Simmons, a well-known artist and photographer, and Carroll Dunham, a painter.
All of this is to say that Dunham herself certainly had a leg up when she got her start in filmmaking. In the mid-2000s, while studying at Oberlin College, Dunham began writing, directing, producing, and starring in short films. In 2007, Dunham starred in Tight Shots, a 10-episode web series for Nerve.com. She followed this up in 2009 with a web series she created for Index Magazine called Delusional Downtown Divas. That same year, Dunham’s Creative Nonfiction—which Dunham wrote, directed, and starred in with her mother executive producing—premiered at South by Southwest after a re-edit following a rejection the year before.
Dunham’s breakthrough came as a result of her 2010 indie feature Tiny Furniture, which she again wrote, directed, and starred in. Her mother and real life sibling also play those roles in the film. For Tiny Furniture, Dunham received an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. The semi-autobiographical feature also premiered at South by Southwest. It was the success of this film in the indie community that earned Dunham the blind script deal at HBO that eventually led to Girls.
Related: How Did Lena Dunham Get Her Start?
How did Lena Dunham become famous?
Though it was Tiny Furniture that earned Dunham her initial notoriety, it was HBO’s Girls, which she created and for which she acted as a writer, director, executive producer, showrunner and lead actress (phew!), that made her a household name. Because Judd Apatow came on as an executive producer, his name gave the show buzz even before it premiered—and by association elevated Dunham’s status. Girls premiered on HBO in the spring of 2012. Of course, a lot of the early press around the show revolved around the inherent privilege enjoyed by the show’s four leading ladies due to their famous parents.
Dunham earned a Golden Globe for her performance in the first season of the show, and over its six seasons picked up eight Emmy nominations.
What is Lena Dunham's net worth in 2022?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lena Dunham has a net worth of $12 million in 2022. She has earned this through her work as a published author as well as a writer, director and actor for film and TV.
Related: See Inside Lena Dunham's Former $3 Million Williamsburg Condo
Where did Lena Dunham go to college?
Lena Dunham was a student at Oberlin college in the mid-2000s. It was there that she started writing, directing, producing and starring in short films.
Who are Lena Dunham's parents?
Lena Dunham’s parents are Laurie Simmons, a well-known artist and photographer, and Carroll Dunham, a painter. It is because of her parents’ notoriety —especially her mother’s—the wealth she was raised with, and the inherent privilege and the benefits of it that Dunham enjoyed due to her parents’ status that Dunham has been referred to as a nepotism baby.
How much did Lena Dunham make on her book?
Lena Dunham was reportedly paid $3.5 million for her first book Not That Kind of Girl. She is also the author of the essay collection Is it evil not to be sure? released in 2017 and Best and Always, a collection of short stories released in 2019.
How many books did Lena Dunham sell?
Lena Dunham’s book Not That Kind of Girl sold 271,931 hardcover copies as of January 2016. It reached number 2 on the New York Times bestseller list in October 2014, having been released in September 2014. It's unclear how many copies of her other books Dunham sold, especially since their releases were never heavily promoted and were considered surprises.
Related: Taylor Swift Was a Bridesmaid! Find Out What Else Lena Dunham Just Revealed About Her Secret Wedding
Is Lena Dunham's career over?
Lena Dunham’s career is not over as this summer her newest movie, Sharp Stick, is widely released. For this movie, Dunham not only has a role but also wrote, directed, and produced it. Unfortunately for her career, the early reviews of the film have not been kind, but we don't think we've seen the last of her!
How much did Lena Dunham make for her show?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lena Dunham was paid $150,000 per episode for her role as an actress, writer, director, producer and co-showrunner of HBO’s Girls. As the show lasted for six seasons and 62 episodes, this would mean she earned $9.3 million for the series if that was her salary for the entire run.
How much did Lena Dunham make for her podcast?
Lena Dunham has a podcast co-hosted by Alissa Bennett called The C-Word. It is hosted by the podcasting startup Luminary. It is not known how much Dunham has made from the podcast, but podcasts were expected to make $514 million in ad revenue in 2019. As a result, we can imagine the endeavor has been fairly profitable for her.
Next, find out how much the ultimate nepotism kids, the Kardashians and Jenners, are worth today!
