Lena Dunham threw a fundraiser for her 33rd birthday & Brad Pitt attended

Posted by Valeria Galgano on Monday, May 13, 2024

Yep. That’s Brad Pitt with Lena Dunham on her Instagram. Brad and Lena had probably met before last year, but they definitely got to know each other in 2018 while working together on Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I’m not saying they’re BFFs now, but apparently they got along well enough where Lena invited him to her birthday party and he came by. Lena did something special for her 33rd birthday: she used it to host a Pinterest-inspired fundraiser for the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House, a recovery home for women battling substance abuse and addiction. Lena spoke about her own addiction to prescription painkillers last year. I mean… Lena pisses me off, but this was a good thing. She had to do a big Instagram caption about it:

I may own a birthday bitch hat, but IRL I’m no big birthday bitch. For someone who loves both attention and presents, I’ve sure cancelled a lotta bday parties at the last minute (a special sorry to @mattpolf who had already hired a crafting teacher last year, and @lesleyarfin who was ready to DJ in 2011.)

I used to think there was something a bit unseemly about an adult leaning into their birthday, until I realized I was actually just jealous of the confidence and self-love it takes to say “it’s my day, people!” I often felt I was making up for some original sin and that the nicest thing I could do for others on my birthday was make myself as unobtrusive as possible (it never worked and I usually either barfed or cried.) But this year is different. This year I’m… wait for it… happy. And so grateful for where I am, who I am, and everyone who has helped me on my journey to health & sobriety. 32 was good to me, and for 33 I wanted to say a big old thank you.

So I hosted a Spring fundraiser for @friendlyhousela (the first recovery home for women in the United States) in LA last week. It was the best day ever and @anniecampbell literally brought a Pinterest board to life!!! And today, rather than presents, I’d love for you to donate to Friendly House, which is dedicated to helping women navigate the journey through addiction to recovery. It’s a journey I know first hand can only be attempted with love and support, which is why I have started a scholarship fund for women who are determined to recover but don’t have the financial means to begin. Go to the link in my bio to donate.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support last week; you melt my heart. Thank you for the birthday wishes. And a special thank you to those of you who donate. It brings me such joy to think of how together we can directly affect so many women who have forgotten that they matter. Let’s remind them! Lots of LOVE xo

[From Lena’s Instagram]

“I often felt I was making up for some original sin and that the nicest thing I could do for others on my birthday was make myself as unobtrusive as possible (it never worked and I usually either barfed or cried.)” That’s maybe the most Lena Dunham Thing ever. She thinks about NOT making her birthdays all about her, then makes it all about her by barfing and crying and insisting it’s not about her. It’s like next-level theatrical self-absorption. As for the fundraiser, as I said, it was a good thing. I found that I hated celebrating birthdays past the age of, like, 25. I mean, a nice dinner out, that’s okay. But mostly after a certain age, don’t most people just treat their birthdays as any other day?

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Getty.

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