10 Times Girls' Hannah Horvath Was the Absolute Worst
Created and played by Girls showrunner Lena Dunham, self-absorbed and entitled Hannah was seen as an archetype for a specific type of millennial woman, particularly the messy 20-something kind living in Brooklyn in the mid 2010s. However, much of the ire aimed at Hannah seemed to be intertwined with what viewers thought about Dunham herself, who touted the character as semi-autobiographical and was the subject of intense scrutiny during the years Girls was on the air. Dunham has defended Hannah's faults—as well as those of her pseudo-besties Marnie (Allison Williams), Jessa (Jemima Kirke), and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet)—as relatable and honest, and spoken out about how their flaws were criticized much more than the exponentially worse offenses of their male antihero counterparts.
"I'm constantly being asked about these characters being unlikable, and I'm like, 'What does that even mean?'" Dunham told Vogue in 2016. "Walter White and Tony Soprano literally murder people, and everybody's like, 'I love them,' and all we do is be kind of rude and do drugs sometimes and we're unlikable."
Still, that doesn't mean Hannah's behavior was always easy to watch play out on screen. So here, in chronological order, are the 10 Girls episodes where Hannah Horvath was the worst.
"Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)
Girls doesn't waste any time letting us know just what type of person Hannah is. After her parents cut her off financially in the pilot episode's opening scene, insisting she try to get a paying job at the age of 24, Hannah responds by telling them she doesn't want to see them for the rest of their visit to New York. However, she later proceeds to get high on opium tea, show up at their hotel room to confront them, and—in what has become one of Girls' most defining moments—deliver a half self-aggrandizing, half-self deprecating plea for support: "I think that I may be the voice of a generation. Or, at least, a voice of a generation."
In the morning, Hannah wakes to find her parents have checked out and left behind two envelopes, one with $20 for her and one with $20 for housekeeping. She pockets both bills without pause and heads out.
"Bad Friend" (Season 2, Episode 3)
"Bad Friend" may be one of Girls' funniest installments, but it's also one of Hannah's most unflattering—which is saying something. After asking her downstairs neighbor Laird (Jon Glaser), a recovering addict, for a drug hook-up, Hannah goes on a Wednesday night coke bender with Elijah (Andrew Rannells) that results in him revealing he and Marnie briefly had sex in a moment of confusion. Despite the fact that he and Hannah broke up years ago and he's since come out to her as gay, this prompts Hannah to kick Elijah out of their shared apartment and show up unannounced at Booth Jonathan's (Jorma Taccone) home to accost Marnie with a self-righteous diatribe about how Marnie is the bad friend and she's the good friend. During a pit stop at a local pharmacy, Elijah succinctly sums up her bad behavior: "Leave it to you to make this whole night about you and your role in my path to honest sexuality...Maybe what happened between Marnie and I had very little, nay, nothing to do with you whatsoever."
To make herself feel better after terrorizing her friends, Hannah ends the evening by sleeping with Laird, who has spent the night racked with guilt over the fact that he supplied her with drugs. It's the cherry on top of a narcissistic spiral.
"Video Games" (Season 2, Episode 7)
While accompanying Jessa on a trip upstate to visit her estranged father, Hannah deems it appropriate to have a sexual encounter with Hannah's 19-year-old stepbrother Frank (Nick Lashaway) while Jessa is attempting to work through the issues her dad's immaturity and frequent abandonment have caused in their relationship. When Jessa questions Hannah's behavior, demanding to know whether she really "had no idea this was not supposed to be a sexcapade," Hannah blames Jessa for making her think that's what the evening was about. Later that night, she further isolates her friend by offering up the less-than-helpful advice that no one is ever in the right frame of mind to see their parents.
To make matters even worse, when Frank tells Hannah the next morning that he feels like she used him for sex, she's dismissive of his hurt despite the fact that he's a literal teenager and seems to have been a virgin. Turns out actions have consequences, Hannah.
"Only Child" (Season 3, Episode 5)
After Hannah's editor David (John Cameron Mitchell) unexpectedly dies, she decides it's a good idea to show up at his funeral to question his widow about the fate of her forthcoming ebook. When she finds out the publisher David worked for has dropped all his projects, Hannah is more concerned with trying to suss out the name of another potential publisher than the fact that she's surrounded by David's grieving family members. In turn, she earns the only acceptable response to such an ill-timed and callous request: 'If I do give you another name, will you get the f-ck out of here?'
"Beach House" (Season 3, Episode 7)
During a weekend getaway to Marnie's mom's friend's beach house in North Fork that Marnie organized in hopes of healing the girls' fractured friend group, Hannah invites Elijah and his pals (including a new boyfriend literally named Pal who's played by Danny Strong) to come over without even checking to see if it's OK with the others. She then rudely laughs at everyone's jokes about how little food there is at dinner, a problem that only exists because Marnie thought she was shopping for four people not eight. Does Marnie's response to her plans getting derailed come off as a bit neurotic? Yes. Does that cancel out how inconsiderate Hannah is? Certainly not.
"I Saw You" (Season 3, Episode 11)
As Adam (Adam Driver) prepares for his first Broadway role, Hannah reverts to full on clingy mode, even going so far as to show up at Ray's (Alex Karpovsky) apartment, where Adam is temporarily staying, and interrupt his vocal exercises when she wants attention. Later, even though Adam is a guest in Ray's home, she barges into Ray's room after proclaiming that "everything" is her business to find him having sex with Marnie. She then proceeds to scream at a humiliated Marnie that she's never allowed to judge her again. With friends like these who needs enemies?
Sadly, that's not all. Hannah also blows up her latest professional gig by going on a tirade against her fellow GQ colleagues for working in what she describes as a "sweatshop factory for puns"—all because she's insecure about her own faltering writing career. This quickly provokes her boss (played by Jenna Lyons) into firing her.
"Two Plane Rides" (Season 3, Episode 12)
In the Season 3 finale, an increasingly flailing Hannah finds out she got into the Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate program she applied to. This is a cause for celebration, but she selfishly chooses to deliver the news to Adam in the minutes before he's set to take the stage on opening night of his Broadway play. The unnecessary added stress of her announcement leads to Adam delivering what he judges to be a not-so-perfect performance and ultimately results in what appears to be a near-relationship-ending fight between the two. Hannah obviously isn't the only one at fault in their downfall as a couple, but her decision making certainly leaves something to be desired.
"Ask Me My Name" (Season 4, Episode 7)
On her first date with fellow teacher Fran (Jake Lacey), Hannah sabotages what seems to be a positive new connection in her life by dragging him to Adam's new girlfriend Mimi-Rose's (Gillian Jacobs) art show. Once Fran gets wise to the fact that she's using him as a pawn in her twisted attempt to interact with Adam, he quickly dips. But that doesn't stop Hannah from spending the night making herself and everyone around her miserable by trying to get to know Mimi-Rose, who clearly has some personality disorders of her own. Hannah's inner turmoil over her life trajectory is on full, chaotic display here.
"Homeward Bound" (Season 5, Episode 8)
After agreeing to go on a three-month summer road trip with Fran despite their issues, Hannah figures out before the first pit stop that she doesn't actually want to be with him anymore. But instead of handling the situation like an adult and having a conversation, Hannah chooses to lock herself in a rest stop bathroom and refuse to talk to him. She then rejects Fran's offer to drive her home and opts to call on Ray to come pick her up in his fancy new coffee truck. As a completely misguided thank you, Hannah tries to perform a very hesitantly accepted sexual favor for Ray, which causes him to drive off the road and tip over his recent $50,000-investment. She then hitches a ride with a stranger, leaving Ray on the side of the road to deal with the busted-up truck on his own. It's difficult to justify pretty much any of Hannah's actions in this one!
"Goodbye Tour" (Season 6, Episode 9)
Hannah's overall arc in the series' penultimate episode is a step in the right direction for her. But there is one glaring misstep that recalls the Hannah of old. After ignoring Shoshanna for months and neglecting to even tell her she was pregnant, Hannah shows up at her apartment uninvited to say goodbye. Only, it turns out Shosh has gotten engaged in the meantime and is in the middle of her engagement party, which Hannah was decidedly not invited to. Hannah's longtime disinterest in Shosh is particularly egregious considering how Shoshanna leapt to her defense over the whole Mimi-Rose situation and even stood up to Jessa after she shacked up with Adam (even if that wasn't really what she had a problem with). As Shoshanna says her fiancé Byron helped her realize, she can't be friends with the others anymore because of 'how exhausting and narcissistic and ultimately boring this whole dynamic is." You tell em, Shosh.
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Your favorite model? Thanks to AI, they might not be real
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In an October 2024 interview with Bloomberg, Mango's CEO Toni Ruiz justified the use of AI models, saying that advertising could be created more quickly. 'It's about faster content creation,' he said. Mango did not reply to CNN's request for comment. Levi's responded to criticism at the time of its announcement, clarifying that it was not 'a means to advance diversity' and the company remained committed to working with diverse models. The brand added it would not scale back live photoshoots with models. Noticeably, the AI models shared by Seraphinne Vallora on its Instagram are largely white and have conventionally attractive features, such as luscious hair, a fit body and facial symmetry, which align with widely held societal standards of beauty. Asked why there isn't greater diversity among Seraphinne Vallora's AI models, Petrescu said there were no technical limitations, but they simply followed directions from clients. 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Digital avatars such as Lil Miquela and Shudu have large followings on social media and wear clothing from luxury brands like Prada, Dior and Calvin Klein. Neither digital model is Caucasian, and both have at least one white creator (Shudu was created by British visual artist Cameron-James Wilson and Miquela by Los Angeles-based creatives Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou). Not all AI creations are entirely fictional, either. In March, H&M said that it would create AI 'twins' of 30 real-life models, with the intention of using them in advertising campaigns and social media posts. As part of the agreement, each model would own the rights to their twin, meaning they can book multiple photoshoots with brands (including H&M's competitors) and, in that sense, be in more than one place at once. The first images, using AI-made photos of models, were released this month. 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Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Lena Dunham Stuns With Crucial Message for Gen Z: 'Voice of the Generation'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The twenties—a decade long criticized as a limbo land of self-discovery, existential confusion and emotional turbulence. But according to Lena Dunham, there's hope on the horizon for Gen Zers who feel like they're drowning in the pressure to have it all figured out. In a recent episode of the Girls Rewatch Podcast, Dunham shared a refreshingly optimistic take on aging that quickly resonated online. A clip from the podcast has since garnered 42,600 likes and over 313,900 views on TikTok. "Your 30s are better than your 20s. I think aging is like the coolest thing that can happen to you," Dunham told hosts Amelia Ritthaler and Evan Lazarus. The Too Much writer and producer—now 39—reflected on how far she's come since writing the Girls pilot 15 years ago. LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 23: Lena Dunham attends the U.K. special screening for Lena Dunham's "Too Much" at the Barbican Centre on June 23, 2025 in London, England. LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 23: Lena Dunham attends the U.K. special screening for Lena Dunham's "Too Much" at the Barbican Centre on June 23, 2025 in London, England."I wish I had better appreciated the level of energy and strength that your body is capable of at that moment," Dunham said. "Because I then have talked about the fact that I encountered health issues. Like, there's just a level of, like, joie de vivre to your 20s. "And what I was stuck in was the cycle of doing what I wanted and then feeling f****** terrible about it, when I could have done the exact same thing, enjoyed it, and there would have been zero different consequences." She compared "feeling terrible" about what she was doing to the analogy of a plane crashing, and that thinking about it not crashing, would not prevent it from happening. But Dunham's key takeaway was ultimately empowering: "It's okay to just enjoy. As long as you're not physically hurting people, operating in deep dishonesty, or like taking people's agency away from them, it's okay." Dunham is back in the spotlight with her return to television in the upcoming romantic comedy series Too Much, which follows a heartbroken protagonist—Jessica—who moves to London in search of healing and reinvention. The show marks a new chapter in her career, over a decade after she became a millennial household name with Girls, the groundbreaking HBO series released in 2012, which chronicled the chaos of four women navigating their twenties in New York City. Kamini Wood, a human potential coach and CEO of Live Joy Your Way, praised Dunham's message and spoke to Newsweek about why she thought it was impactful. The intensity of one's twenties is often driven by the pressure to figure out who you are outside the context of family, culture, or societal expectations, according to Wood. "It's a time period when decisions about career paths, relationships, and self-worth can feel so high-stakes," Wood told Newsweek. "There's often a fear that these choices are irreversible or that they define you forever, which creates a lot of emotional pressure." In that context, Dunham's call to "release guilt and embrace joy" is both radical and freeing. Wood agreed, saying: "True freedom comes when we stop performing for or chasing external validation." According to Wood, young women are rarely taught that. Instead, she says, they're conditioned to link their worth to how productive, beautiful, or morally "correct" they appear to others. Unrealistic beauty standards and rigid morality expectations only deepen this crisis of identity, she explains, making women judge their decisions based on what will be seen as acceptable or impressive, rather than what genuinely aligns with their own values. "Women today are hungry to step away from all those 'shoulds' and step toward genuine self-acceptance," she said. Social media users shared their appreciation for Dunham's eye-opening message. "Okay she lowkey is the voice of the generation," said one user. "That joie de vivre of the 20s is so f****** real. Is what I miss the most!" said another viewer. "You couldn't pay me to be 24 again'—Hannah's Gyno," said Millie quoting an iconic scene from Girls where the protagonist goes to get a sexual health check. "My mom says her 40s are her best years," said another user. "I miss the excitement I had about life and the future, but I now appreciate everyday and I think I'm prettier with a few wrinkles," said another user.
