Thirty years have passed since Monica Lewinsky’s name became synonymous with one of the most notorious scandals in American political history, yet today, at 51 years old, she is courageously reclaiming her story and reflecting on the profound impact that affair with then-President Bill Clinton had on her life. In a deeply revealing interview on Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast, Lewinsky opened up candidly about the scandal, the power dynamics involved, the public shaming she endured, and what it means to finally take ownership of her narrative three decades later.
Lewinsky was only 22 when she entered the White House as an intern, a young woman thrust into an environment of immense power. Clinton, 49 at the time, was arguably the most powerful man in the world. “I think there was some limerence there and all sorts of other things, but that’s how I saw it then,” Lewinsky explained. “It was a 22-to-24-year-old young woman’s love. I think it was also an abuse of power.” Her relationship with Clinton triggered an impeachment, relentless media scrutiny, and a wave of public humiliation that unfairly placed most of the blame on her shoulders.
Lewinsky recalled how the Clinton administration worked hard to paint a humiliating picture of her, branding her a “bimbo,” a label she vehemently rejected. “I wasn’t a dumb bimbo,” she said emphatically. “I was portrayed to be—and that was a big struggle.” What made it worse, she pointed out, was that many women embraced and amplified this damaging narrative. “That mantle was picked up by a lot of women,” she noted, “even though it was crafted and pushed by the White House.” Despite Clinton’s eventual admission of the affair on August 17, 1998, when he accepted full responsibility, the damage to Lewinsky’s life and reputation had already been done.
The aftermath, as Lewinsky described it, was nothing short of a “media circus.” She faced constant mockery, stalking, and emotional torment. “I love and appreciate who I am now,” she reflected, “but I would’ve liked a more normal life. A more normal trajectory.” In a revealing conversation on the Call Her Daddy podcast with host Alex Cooper, Lewinsky offered even deeper insights into the public’s harsh judgment. Cooper reminded her, “You were 22 years old, he was 49, you were an intern. He was the President of the United States.” Lewinsky responded bluntly, “I was very quickly painted as a stalker, mentally unstable, not attractive enough.”
Looking back, one detail continues to haunt Lewinsky—the collateral damage suffered by countless women of her generation and beyond. “There was so much collateral damage for women of my generation,” she said. “To watch a young woman be pilloried on the world stage—for her sexuality, her mistakes, her everything.” The scandal didn’t just cost her anonymity; it cost her future. “Because of the power dynamics and the power differential,” she reflected, “I never should’ve been in that f***ing position.”
Yet, Lewinsky isn’t seeking pity today. Instead, she’s asking for perspective and understanding—a recognition of her as a person beyond the scandal that consumed her life. Her raw honesty challenges society to confront difficult questions: Have we learned anything over these past three decades? Are we truly kinder toward women now, or have we simply shifted to shaming them with new hashtags and social media judgments?
Three decades later, Monica Lewinsky continues to be a powerful voice, urging us to rethink how we treat women caught in the crosshairs of power, public opinion, and systemic injustice. Her story is not just about a political scandal; it’s a broader conversation about power, gender, and the way society judges women. Through reclaiming her narrative, Lewinsky invites us all to reflect on compassion, fairness, and the need to challenge harmful stereotypes that have persisted for far too long.
