This is Dunham‘s Illness The memoir provided insight into her relationship with her ex Jack Antonoff – but also offered to talk about the singer’s previous love with him Scarlett Johansson.
Dunham wrote in her book, released in April 2026, that she met Antonoff through her sister Rachel.
“I knew who his brother was – a few weeks earlier, my father had left a copy of the Arts & Leisure section at the end of my bed as he often did when he read a story he thought would interest me,” she wrote. “He was directing me to something above the fold, about a novelist with crippling OCD, but my eyes moved to the image below it – three hipster guys in tuxedoes, members of a band apparently growing in popularity called entertainment. (Small caps and period is a stylish choice).
Dunham recalled focusing on “one face,” describing Antonoff as someone who had “open eyes behind thick black glasses.” He also recalled seeing Antonoff play with his old band Steel Train.
“When I was a freshman in college I was in love with a guitar player and I would walk around the city to be close to him. My crush was whispering when we were watching them play, it was clear that they were holding Jack’s reins,” Dunham recalled. “Later, outside on Ludlow Street, I saw Jack and his crew loading their belongings into a van.
Antonoff finally reached out to Dunham via email in 2012 and they began dating. The former couple were together for almost six years before splitting in December 2017. Antonoff is now married to an actress. Margaret Qualley.
Keep scrolling for a look back at Antonoff and Johansson’s relationship:
Did Jack Antonoff Date Scarlett Johansson?
Jack Antonoff and Scarlett Johansson fell in love while attending Manhattan’s Professional Children’s School in New York City. It was also reported that the two once went out together but broke up in 2002 after dating for a while.
Disney Channel alum Christy Carlson Romano gave a little inside look at Antonoff and Johansson’s previous relationship via Instagram in March 2026. In the photo, Antonoff stood behind Johansson with his arm around her shoulder.
Why Did Jack Antonoff and Scarlett Johansson Break Up?
A 2014 Page Six The report says that Scarlett Johansson and Jack Antonoff broke up shortly before their graduation in 2002 because he had started his career in Hollywood.
Did Jack Antonoff Write A Song About Scarlett Johansson?
In 2005, Jack Antonoff’s band Steel Train released a single titled “Better Love.” It has been widely speculated that the song was inspired by Antonoff and Johansson’s romance.
“The scars are in her name / And she hurts me with guilt / Hello Scarlett, you’re not the same,” the lyrics read.
