Why Jenni Konner Calls Menopause the ‘Wildest Time’ of Her Life

If you asked a room full of people to name the best shows of 2025, Nobody Wants This is bound to appear in several of their lists. You can thank Jenni Konner for that.

The Hollywood powerhouse virtually dropped by the Daily Beast’s office to chat with chief creative and content officer, Joanna Coles, and The Looker’s senior editor, Sam Escobar, in a conversation that spanned menopause, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), her go-to loafers, and the one hair-styling tool she can’t stop raving about.

Konner, 54, is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner of the hit Netflix rom-com series, which stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. A few highlights from her lengthy list of successful projects include the biographical mini series Welcome to Chippendales; the (far too short-lived) sobriety comedy Single Drunk Female; and HBO’s Girls, which she served as a writer, executive producer, director, and co-showrunner, a cultural landmark for legions of millennial women.

Konner’s Take on Perimenopause Pains

Perimenopause, Konner said, “makes [being a teenager] look like nothing.” She takes estrogen and progesterone, the same combination that many of her friends take, for what she calls “the wildest time of my life, hormonally.”

Coles asked whether Konner stuck with her primary care physician for perimenopause care or saw a specialist. “I have a bunch of great doctors, who I go to for a bunch of things, and [they] all kind of work together,” she said. “I also have an endocrinologist who’s very helpful. So, everyone’s doing the best they can; they check your blood levels and all of that.” She also reports taking a minimal dose of testosterone, finding it helpful for her energy levels.

The TV writer opened up about her frustrations at the lack of options available for women in the same boat. “There’s something really broken in the system when women only get one choice of what to take in the wildest time of their lives,” she told Coles and Escobar.

“If we lived in a world where they did research for women’s health, we’d all be a lot more comfortable right now,” Konner said. “I’m personally very angry about it.”

Konner credits other female artists with giving her tools to help navigate menopause: specifically Miranda July’s novel All Fours, which she explained “speaks very, very frankly about perimenopause and the way it f--ks with you.”

The showrunner also cited Katherine Newman’s novel Sandwich as a recent work that brought attention to the topic. The title refers to the generation caught between (sandwiched, if you will) caring for their aging parents and grown children—all while perimenopausal.

“I just hope my daughter has a better world,” Konner told the Looker.

Her Style Staples

Given how uncomfortable perimenopause and menopause can be, it makes sense that now might be when you’d be willing to pay a premium price on creature comforts.

Coles and Konner waxed nostalgic about their mutual love of Rag & Bone’s chunky heel boots, which Konner first introduced Coles to on the set of Girls. “I wore them honestly, way past the point where they seemed cool anymore,” Konner said. “And then two more years after that, because they were so comfortable.”

Nowadays, Konner is a fan of Jamie Haller loafers, which “look and feel like you’ve been wearing them since high school—they’re such good quality.” She wears them both with socks and without, often pairing the loafers with a skirt.

The director also isn’t afraid to splurge a little on investment pieces if the cost-per-wear works out, citing a bone-leather Róhe skirt she bought for an event and has since worn several times. “I would wear it every day of my life,” Konner said. “It’s like my favorite thing.”

The other big-ticket item she recommended: the Dyson Airstrait, a hair tool that both blow-dries hair from soaking wet and straightens it with far less damage than traditional flat irons.

An early adopter of Dyson’s hair tools, Konner has considered herself a devotee of the brand since first receiving its famous Supersonic in a Goop gift bag. Fifteen years later, she reports that the hair-dryer is still going strong.

Her Beauty Regimen

While Konner isn’t a daily makeup wearer, she loves Westman Atelier highlighter drops in Peau de Pêche for going out at night and often gives them to her friends.

Even though she doesn’t wear many cosmetics, she’s strict about taking the day off before bed, noting that she is “religious about washing my face just because I’m grossed out by life and the world.” Konner swears by Retrouvé skincare products. ”[The brand is] super expensive, but again it’s like, cost-per-wear,“ she said. Other everyday staples include tretinoin (a prescription-strength retinol) and sunscreen.

There is one wellness step she’d love to better incorporate into her routine: sleeping through the night. “Whenever someone tells you their beauty secret is sleep, I’m very jealous,” she said.