Lena Dunham's Interview With Maria Shriver Turned Into a Disaster Because of the Word "Penis"

Lena Dunham isn't exactly known for being a shrinking violet, but apparently Maria Shriver still wasn't prepared for the actress's ballsy sense of humor. The Girls creator stopped by the Today show on Friday morning to discuss the end of the popular HBO series with Maria, and their interview was quickly derailed all because Lena said the word "penis." At the end of their chat, Maria thanked Lena for stopping by and told her she enjoyed watching a few advance episodes of season six. "You saw a penis, right?" Lena joked, which seemed to completely fluster the former first lady of California. "Yeah. Well, I saw more than that! You caught me there for a second. I am not sure if you are allowed to say that on television — but you did!" she said.

Lena, clearly amused by the awkward moment, threw her hands up in mock defeat and said, "I won't be coming back!" That's when Maria really got confused, pleading with Matt Lauer, who was standing just off camera, to help her, saying, "She threw me off!" Lena apologized for their interaction, which Maria accepted before attributing her confusion to a generational gap. "That's OK," she said. "That's the difference between generations: I wasn't brought up talking like that." After that it somehow got even more awkward, so only watch the video above if you have a serious tolerance for secondhand embarrassment.