Lena Dunham’s Famesick memoir offered insight into her relationship with ex Jack Antonoff — but it also offered a mention of the musician’s past romance with Scarlett Johansson.
Dunham wrote in her book, released in April 2026, that she met Antonoff through his sister Rachel.
“I knew who her brother was — a few weeks earlier, my father had left a copy of the Arts & Leisure section on 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 toward something above the fold, about a novelist with crippling OCD, but my eyes moved to a photo below it — three hipster boys in tuxedoes, members of a band apparently rising in popularity called fun. (Lowercase and period a stylized choice).”
Dunham recalled focusing on “one face,” describing Antonoff as someone who was “wide-eyed behind thick black glasses.” She also recalled seeing Antonoff play with his old band Steel Train.
“When I was a college freshman with a crush on a guitarist I would trawl the city to be close to. ‘That guy used to date Scarlett Johansson?’ my crush had whispered as we watched them play, clearly making a dig at Jack’s nerd drag,” Dunham recalled. “Later, outside on Ludlow Street, I saw Jack and his band members loading their gear into a van. ‘Cool set,’ I’d muttered, mortified when I had to repeat it again, louder.”
Antonoff ended up reaching out to Dunham via email in 2012 and they started dating. The former couple were together for nearly six years before splitting in December 2017. Antonoff is now married to 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 dated while attending Manhattan’s Professional Children’s School in New York City. It’s also been reported that the two went to prom together but split in 2002 after a short-lived teenage romance.
Disney Channel alum Christy Carlson Romano gave a bit of an inside look into Antonoff and Johansson’s past relationship via Instagram in March 2026. In the pic, Antonoff stood behind Johansson with his arm on her shoulder.
Scarlett Johansson’s Dating History: Colin Jost, Ryan Reynolds, More
Why Did Jack Antonoff and Scarlett Johansson Break Up?
A 2014 Page Six report claimed Scarlett Johansson and Jack Antonoff went their separate ways just before their 2002 graduation because she had kicked off her career in Hollywood.
Did Jack Antonoff Write a Song About Scarlett Johansson?
In 2005, Jack Antonoff’s band Steel Train released a song titled “Better Love.” It has been widely speculated that the song was inspired by Antonoff’s romance with Johansson.
“Scars are in her name / And she scars me in blame / Hey Scarlett, you’re not the same,” the song’s lyrics read.
