Taylor Swift was among the notable celebrities who gathered to mark Lena Dunham’s 40th birthday in style.
The 36-year-old music icon, dazzling in a stunning white ensemble, joined her longtime friend at a New York City celebration on Tuesday evening.
Swift was in good company with other stars like Emily Ratajkowski and Andrew Rannells also joining the festivities for Dunham’s special day.
Rannells, 47, who famously played Dunham’s former boyfriend on the series “Girls,” shared a snapshot featuring himself with Swift, Dunham, Ratajkowski, and her filmmaker partner Romain Gavras. Dunham’s husband, Luis Felber, was also present.
In the funny caption, he thanked Dunham for snapping the photo ‘so I can seem cool for the kids.’
Swift, seemingly enjoying a negroni, posed for the photo with a subtle smile.
Taylor Swift was one of the many stars who celebrated Lena Dunham’s milestone 40th birthday with her (seen left to right: Romain Gavras, Emily Ratajkowski, Taylor Swift, Andrew Rannells, and Lena Dunham)
The guest list was intriguing, given the past connections, as Ratajkowski had been spotted earlier in March 2023 sharing a passionate kiss with Swift’s ex, Harry Styles, in Tokyo. Swift and Styles, now 32, had a brief relationship from late 2012 into 2013.
Ratajkowski also previously said she was not a fan of Swift until 2023 as she told Elle at the time: ‘I recently became a Swiftie.
‘I loved her last album and I’ve seen her documentary, but I wasn’t following her career in the same way the last 10-plus years,’ she added.
When she saw the video, Emily was ‘so struck by how clear she’s being about what is making her uncomfortable.’
Ratajkowski added, ‘I think the lens that I would’ve viewed that interview from 10 years ago versus now has evolved so much, which is why it struck me. I was in bed falling asleep and commented on it, not because I thought it was going to make headlines at all.
‘She’s another example of a woman who has been faced with such blatant misogyny and sexism, and yet we don’t want to admit that, because she’s powerful and successful, and also she’s white.’
Meanwhile, at Dunham’s party the Bad Blood songstress put on a leggy display wearing a white sweater dress with a pleated skirt.
Her blonde locks were pulled back into a chic ponytail while her bangs fell onto her forehead.
It was an interesting group celebrating Dunham as back in March 2023, Ratajkowski was seen passionately kissing Swift’s ex Harry Styles on the streets of Tokyo. Swift and Styles, now 32, had a brief romance from late 2012 to 2013 (Swift and Styles are seen in December 2012)
The Bad Blood songstress put on a leggy display wearing a white sweater dress with a pleated skirt
Her blonde locks were pulled back into a chic ponytail while her bangs fell onto her forehead
A light blush was added to her cheekbones while a peach-colored matte tint was worn on her lips
Rannells, 47, who played Dunham’s ex-boyfriend in her series Girls, posted the celeb-filled snap in addition tot his sweet dedication to his friend and former co-star
A light blush was added to her cheekbones while a peach-colored matte tint was worn on her lips.
Swift and Dunham have been friends for a very long time.
The duo’s sisterhood began online back in 2012 when Dunham first tweeted about how important the songstress’ music was to her.
Praising the artist, she wrote: ‘Judging by how much she’s helped me thus far, Taylor Swift is going to write the song that finally gets me comfortable with death.’
Later that year in October, after the release of Swift album Red, Dunham took to Twitter once again as she penned: ‘Update: @taylorswift13’s album is triumphant. If she’d been here when I was in college I would have written papers on her, not Sylvia Plath’.
Overjoyed at her compliment, Swift instantly replied as she raved about Dunham’s comedy series Girls.
She replied: ‘@lenadunham, you made my day with that. I’m now going to sit in my dressing room reciting my fav @girlsHBO quotes.. Which is all of them.’
After Swift decided to take the jump and followed Dunham, it wasn’t long before the director replied and the friendship began.
The duo’s friendship began online back in 2012 when Dunham first tweeted about how important the songstress’ music was to her (pictured at The Golden Globes in 2014)
Later that year in October, after the release of Swift’s album Red, Dunham took to Twitter once again as she penned: ‘Update: @taylorswif3’s album is triumphant. If she’d been here when I was in college I would have written papers on her, not Sylvia Plath
However this time Swift saw the tweet and replied and the friendship officially began
Scrolling back to the pair’s first ever messages during an interview with Rolling Stone, Swift revealed Dunham’s first message to her read: ‘I am so excited about the prospect of being friends with you that I added the adjective best in front of it.’
The pair were seen cuddling up together at the Grammy’s in 2013, at the time when Dunham was dating Swift’s now producer Jack Antonoff.
In 2015, the star appeared in Swift’s Bad Blood video which saw the star recruit her famous pack of girlfriend’s for her hit single with Kendrick Lamar.
Dunham joined Hailee Steinfield, Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez and Hayley Williams, to name a few, as they embraced their inner fighters for the catchy hit.
She later joined Swift on stage for a performance at New Jersey’s iconic MetLife Stadium in July of that year as they brought the iconic video to life.
While Swift is known for her string of exes that often provide inspiration for her music, Dunham defended her friend’s dating history.
Scrolling back to the pair’s first ever messages during an interview with Rolling Stone , Swift revealed Dunham’s first message to her read: ‘I am so excited about the prospect of being friends with you that I added the adjective best in front of it’
Coming to Swift’s defense on the Howard Stern show back in 2017 she explained: ‘I think that young woman…it’s so hard.
‘I think about the relationships that I had in my early twenties and if they had been public, it would’ve been a disaster,’ she continued.
‘And also, I mean, not to repeat age-old feminist points, but it’s like you know, any male actor her age who’s going out and dating is applauded and to just have a perfectly normal amount of romantic partners but to be held to impossibly high standards by the press, like it’s just an unfair and unwinnable game.’
The pair have also been very vocal with their love for each other online, after Dunham penned a gushing message to the star back in 2018.
Sharing a selfie of them both after Swift’s show at the Rose Bowl in California, she wrote: ‘This is a love note to @taylorswift. I was a fan before I was a friend and her music formed the soundtrack to so much love & loss & discovery – late nights writing and early mornings weepy on the way to work.’
She added: ‘She had perfectly distilled the feeling of growing into yourself. When we became friends 6 years ago I didn’t know she’d also prove to be the loyal and hilarious cat lady who loved me through every rough moment and the triumphant ones too.’
Dunham joined Swift on stage for a performance at New Jersey’s iconic MetLife Stadium in July 2015 alongside Hailee Steinfield, Gigi Hadid and Lily Aldridge as they brought the Bad Blood video to life
Dunham defended her friend’s dating history as she came to Swift’s defense on the Howard Stern show back in 2017 and explained: ‘I think that young woman…it’s so hard’
Dunham penned a gushing message to the star back in 2018 as she wrote: ‘When we became friends 6 years ago I didn’t know she’d also prove to be the loyal and hilarious cat lady who loved me through every rough moment and the triumphant ones too’
‘Tonight I was just a fan again, one of 60k who got our souls rocked by her artistry, her open heart and her killer gams. Love you forever, Tay,’ she added.
In 2021, Swift had the honour of serving as one of Dunham’s bridesmaids at her wedding to husband Luis Felber at Soho’s Union Club in London.
Getting married after the COVID lockdown, Swift was one of nine bridesmaids as Dunham confessed she hadn’t seen some of her friends in over a year due to the pandemic.
She explained: ‘I spent so much time during the pandemic talking to my girlfriends about our feelings over FaceTime, but a few of my best friends I haven’t seen in over a year.
‘And, you know, my girlfriends have had to deal with a lot of not-so-happy things with me in our adulthood, so to be able to celebrate something joyful and use it as an excuse to be together was very special.’
