Three decades after her name became synonymous with scandal, Monica Lewinsky, now 51, is reclaiming her narrative.
On Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast, the former White House intern reflected on her affair with then-President Bill Clinton, a relationship that led to impeachment proceedings and nearly destroyed her life. At 22, Lewinsky became the target of intense public shaming—most of it directed at her.
“It was a young woman’s love,” she said. “There was limerence… but it was also an abuse of power.”
She criticized the White House’s narrative that painted her as a “bimbo,” a damaging label amplified by both media and women. “I wasn’t a dumb bimbo—I was portrayed to be,” she said.
Lewinsky also opened up on the Call Her Daddy podcast, saying she lost not just her anonymity but her future. “I never should’ve been in that f***ing position,” she said, highlighting the power imbalance.
The scandal’s impact, she notes, went beyond her: “There was so much collateral damage for women of my generation, watching me be torn apart for my sexuality and mistakes.”
Despite everything, Lewinsky says she now appreciates who she’s become—but wishes she’d had a more normal life.