Monica Lewinsky has opened up about her past relationship with Bill Clinton, saying that while she doesn’t need one from him, the former U.S. President “should want to apologize” on his own for his role in the scandal surrounding them. Speaking on the Today show, Lewinsky said that she feels Clinton should have this philosophy “in the same way I want to apologize any chance I get to people my actions have hurt.” The new interview comes ahead of the debut of Impeachment: American Crime Story, a Ryan Murphy-created limited series about the scandal, which Lewinsky co-produced.
“I’m nervous for people to see some of the worst moments of my life and a lot of behavior that I regret,” Lewinsky said during her Today show appearance. “I’ve really worn two hats in this project,” she said, explaining that she’s “proud” of her work on the show, but also realized that some of the moments depict actual circumstances and real-life moments that she feels are very “cringeworthy” in retrospect. “I do not recommend watching your early 20s be dramatized on TV,” Lewinsky quipped, “especially in this instance where the truth really was stranger than fiction.”
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Notably, Clinton has previously addressed his remorse over the scandal, even speaking about it in a 2020 Hulu documentary about his wife, Hillary Clinton. The film touches on many aspects of Hillary’s life, including Clinton’s affair with Lewinsky, with the ex-president at one point saying that he feels “terrible” over how the former intern was treated. “Monica Lewinsky’s life was defined by it, unfairly I think,” Bill said. “Over the years, I’ve watched her trying to get a normal life back again. But you’ve got to decide how to define normal.”
The infamous affair first came to light in 1998, after Bill had previously denied it, with the situation eventually leading to an impeachment trial. “We all bring our baggage to life and sometimes we do things we shouldn’t do. It was awful what I did,” he said in the documentary. As for why he got himself into the affair in the first place, Bill blamed it on the stress of being the United States president.
“You’ve been in a 15 round prize fight that was extended to 30 rounds, and here is something that will take your mind off of it for awhile,” he said. Bill added: “Everybody’s life has pressures and disappointments and terrors, fears of whatever. The things I did to manage my anxieties for years — I’m a totally different person than I was.”
