Taylor Swift attends Lena Dunham's 40th birthday dinner

Taylor Swift added some serious star power to Lena Dunham's 40th birthday celebrations, joining a close-knit group of friends for a dinner at Via Carota in New York City's West Village on Tuesday, 12 May.

The gathering, held a day before Dunham's actual birthday, was a relaxed but glamorous affair at the beloved downtown restaurant. 

Also at the table were Lena's husband Luis Felber, model and actress Emily Ratajkowski, who starred alongside Dunham in her 2025 Netflix show Too Much, and French film director Romain Gavras.

Actor Andrew Rannells, 47, captured the mood perfectly with an Instagram Stories tribute to the birthday girl. 

"Happy birthday @lenadunham! I continue to be in awe of your kindness and talent. I'm very lucky to be your friend," he wrote, before sharing a group shot that included Swift and the rest of the dinner crowd.

Alongside a photo of himself, Lena, Taylor and Romain, he added with characteristic wit: "Thank you for taking this picture so I can seem cool for the kids."

The friendship between Swift and Dunham is clearly one of genuine warmth. 

In her recently released second memoir, Famesick, out in April, Dunham wrote about Taylor with rare tenderness. 

"TayTay, you sing the songs I wrote this book to, the stories that pulled these stories out of me, the music that makes the whole world feel seen, and yet somehow, miraculously, you also pick up every desperate call at every desperate hour," she wrote. 

"I love you so much and forever, for the reasons that everyone does and for reasons all my own."

Dunham may well be returning the favour before long. 

Swift is rumoured to be marrying fiancé Travis Kelce in New York over the Fourth of July weekend this summer, with sources suggesting the couple have scaled back their original guest list to keep things more intimate.

Those closest to them, it's said, already know the date and the venue, and if Tuesday night's dinner is anything to go by, Lena Dunham will almost certainly be among them.