David Lynch regretted signing letter defending Roman Polanski, daughter reveals

David Lynch’s daughter Jennifer has spoken about her father co-signing an open letter defending controversial director Roman Polanski, saying that he regretted the decision after.

Polanski, famous for directing classics such as Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, was arrested in 1977 for the rape of then-13-year-old Samnatha Geimer. The filmmaker would flee the US, where he was convicted, to avoid a prison sentence, and remained in Europe for decades. He currently resides in Paris.

In 2009, he was arrested in Zurich as Switzerland has an extradition agreement with America, resulting in a year-long legal case between the two countries. This ended with Switzerland rejecting the US’ request for extradition and declaring Polanski a free man.

During that time, over 160 directors, actors, and producers signed a petition for his release first created by French public figure Bernard-Henri Lévy. Among the signatories were Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, and Woody Allen. Stars Emma Thompson and Natalie Portman would later have their names removed from the petition, and expressed regret over being involved.

While David Lynch never publicly spoke about signing the petition, a TikTok by user @grd4na brought attention to the Twin Peaks creator’s involvement, prompting Jennifer Lynch to explain in the comments that he later regretted it.

@grd4na

GUILLERMO DEL TORO TOO??? AND WIM WENDERS?? I walk on disappointment boulevard everyday with some of my favorite artists. WHY GOD WHY? (Found out mid watching the art of life too) #lol #interesting #davidlynch #wongkarwai #directors

♬ Laura Palmer’s Theme (Love Theme from Twin Peaks) – Angelo Badalamenti

“This was a very tough situation and conversation for me with Dad,” she wrote. “I found out he signed it after he had done it, and when we spoke, I was both heartbroken and angry. We had words about it, but he never defended doing it. He said he wished he had talked to me beforehand because, as he saw it, he was joining many other artists in trying to help Polanski try to redeem himself”.

“We did not always agree, Dad and I. I can tell you that after our conversation, he regretted signing it. He had done it for the wrong reasons and had ignored the horrible actions of an artist whose work he respected. He was changed in our talk. I explained what his support said about him as a human being, and I didn’t think his true self would do that”.

“Again, there is no justifying his signature, but there is explaining it, and taking note of his true regret. I understand people having heartbroken reactions to this. I had them myself. I know that ultimately he saw what he had done was wrong and was ignoring the abuse of a child…. For some reason…when he signed along with others, he did not think of the child…he thought of an artist who wanted back into the states and back into storytelling. It was wrong and callous for him to do. He saw that far too late, but he did see it”.

Jennifer Lynch, David Lynch’s daughter, explained why he signed the Roman Polanski petition and how he felt about it in a comment on tiktok pic.twitter.com/LAl0OaGAtR

— kalasevsky (@kalasevsky) August 8, 2025

After discussing how the decision “haunted” him, she concluded: “Yes, he signed it. It was wrong. By the time our talk was ending, Dad saw that, and I believe opened himself in ways he needed to. If you asked him today, he would not sign it. I love my father and his compassionate heart and mind. It was not like him to be so wrong.

“I saw his remorse and found it to be genuine. Too late, but authentic. Once he knew better he did better. For a brief time he thought of Polanski as the victim. He was not. He was Bob and the child was Laura Palmer”. The latter names refer to characters from Twin Peaks.

The creator of the post would later direct viewers to her comment, describing it as a “comfort” for fans of the director’s work.

David Lynch passed away at his daughter’s home in Los Angeles in January, after being evacuated during the city’s wild fires. He was 78. Recently, the last film he was involved with debuted at the Locarno Film Festival.