Monica Lewinsky at 51: Reclaiming Her Story, Her
Monica Lewinsky, Then and Now: From Scandal to Self-Possession
More than thirty years have passed since a 22-year-old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky became the epicenter of a political earthquake.
Her name plastered headlines, fed late-night monologues, and reshaped the way media devours personal drama.
For most of those decades she had little control over her own narrative.
Now 51, Lewinsky finally tells the story on her own terms—neither excuse nor spectacle, simply an honest account of surviving public disgrace and rebuilding a life.
The Intern the World Thought It Knew
When news of her relationship with President Bill Clinton broke in 1998, the coverage was merciless.
Television, radio, magazines—everyone dissected her looks, motives, and morality.
Lost in the frenzy was her age: barely out of college. “I saw it then as a young woman’s romance,” Lewinsky said recently on the How To Fail podcast.
“Today I understand it was an abuse of power.”
That imbalance was rarely discussed at the time. Instead, headlines branded her a temptress, a “bimbo,” a home-wrecker—labels that stuck while the far more powerful man at the story’s center weathered the storm largely intact.
