An awkward exchange made for an uncomfortable live interview Friday when actress Lena Dunham asked Maria Shriver if she “saw penis” on her HBO show during a segment on NBC’s Today.
Dunham was on the NBC morning show to promote the final season of her HBO coming-of-age dramedy Girls.
Shriver, who was guest co-hosting, said she enjoyed watching the show.
“You saw a penis, right?” Dunham asked, apparently catching Shriver off guard.
“Well, I saw more than that,” a startled Shriver responded. “You caught me there for a second. I’m not sure if you’re allowed to say that on television, but you did.”
“I won’t be coming back!” Dunham said. “Going out with a bang!”
With laughter resounding through the set, Shriver begged Today co-host Matt Lauer to bail her out. “Matt, help! She just threw me off!”
Dunham began to apologize for the bizarre back-and-forth, to which Shriver responded, “That’s okay. That’s the difference between generations. I wasn’t brought up talking like that.”
The Golden Globe-winning actress and die-hard Hillary Clinton supporter recently revealed that the “soul-crushing pain” of Donald Trump’s election caused her to lose a significant amount of weight.
The sixth and final season of Girls premieres on HBO Sunday, February 12.
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