Monica Lewinsky reflected on the emotional toll of the White House scandal involving former President Bill Clinton during a conversation with author Jane Buckingham at The Beverly Hills Hotel, where she was honored as the 2026 Woman of the 21st Century by the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai.
Lewinsky said she lived through “very dark moments” in the years after the scandal and stressed that she did not want to “sugarcoat” the experience.
Now 52, Lewinsky told Buckingham that being in a room filled with “positivity and love” felt remarkable after decades marked by “extreme negativity.” She said the contrast underscored how far she has come since the scandal became public.
She also spoke about the emotional impact of being judged by what she described as “billions of strangers,” saying her “energetic field wasn’t ready” for the scale of hostility she faced. Lewinsky said she spent two decades doing “energy work” to cope with the negativity directed at her.
Scandal and public fallout
Lewinsky began an unpaid White House internship in July 1995 at age 21. Her consensual relationship with Clinton began in November 1995, when she was 22, and Clinton was 49.
The affair became public after Lewinsky confided in Pentagon colleague Linda Tripp, who secretly recorded their conversations. The tapes were later used in Paula Jones’ sexual-harassment lawsuit against Clinton, turning the story into an international scandal.
Clinton’s law license was suspended in 2001 after he agreed to a settlement related to the Jones case. By: Ron Sachs – CNP / MEGA
At a January 1998 White House news conference, Clinton denied the relationship, saying, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” Following the denial and the media frenzy, Lewinsky went into hiding amid intense public scrutiny.
Clinton was impeached in December 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice before being acquitted two months later.
Lewinsky has consistently described the relationship as consensual while also speaking openly about its emotional and psychological impact. She told The Times the public humiliation was “excruciating” and that life became “almost unbearable” during that period.
Experiences inside the White House
Lewinsky told Buckingham she expected senior women in the White House to support one another, but found the opposite to be true. She said the realization was “eye-opening,” particularly alongside the events of 1998.
Lewinsky later became an anti‑bullying advocate, partnering with groups studying digital harassment. By: AdMedia/Newscom/The Mega Agency
She explained that she believed women in leadership roles would “boost one another,” but her experience contradicted that expectation.
Lewinsky described the experience as being overwhelmed by “negative thoughts” from strangers around the world, which she viewed as a form of energetic harm. She said she spent years working to let go of bitterness and rebuild her sense of self.
She has previously acknowledged contemplating suicide during the height of the scandal, saying in earlier interviews that the humiliation was nearly unbearable and that she struggled with the psychological fallout for years.