“In my family, we call [1998] The Brainwashing. The younger generations said — ’wait, the 24-year-old young woman had more consequences than the 50-year-old most powerful man in the world.’ That insistence to revisit the story and to revisit me as a person created this current [of change]” Monica Lewinsky said.
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Scripps Presents hosted Monica Lewinsky for a discussion on her journey of healing from trauma and her subsequent work as an antibullying advocate and storyteller. She was interviewed by Jennifer Groscup, a Scripps psychology professor.
Lewinsky is most well-known for having an intimate relationship with Bill Clinton in 1998, and the widely publicized federal investigation that followed. She has since earned a degree in psychology from the London School of Economics, and became a writer, film producer and anti-bullying advocate. In February 2025, Lewinsky debuted her podcast “Reclaiming” — a series of conversations about overcoming difficult life events and finding one’s voice, purpose and sense of self.
To open the conversation, Lewinsky touched on her personal growth since she became spotlighted, highlighting her challenges with accepting traumatic experiences and their long-lasting consequences.
“The hope was that I would trade in this identity of Monica Lewinsky, the intern in a global scandal, for Monica Lewinsky, the graduate student,” Lewinsky said. “I came to realize that what I needed to do was integrate what had happened and accept that these are all parts of me. I like to joke that I was silent for a decade and now nobody can get me to shut up.”
Lewinsky’s remarks were greeted by a long standing ovation. Among others, Claremont community member Karla Maez particularly admired Lewinsky’s resilience.
”I learned what a remarkable woman she is, how she’s overcome everything that she had to go through with that whole event,” Maez said.
In January of 1998, the story of Lewinsky and Clinton’s relationship broke in the Washington Post. Eventually, Lewinsky testified before a grand jury. The House of Representatives impeached Clinton for committing perjury when asked to describe their intimate relationship.
Nationwide backlash led to unprecedented online harassment. This experience motivated Lewinsky to pursue antibullying advocacy, and she has since created several anti-bullying campaigns for various non-profits. Her public service announcement “In Real Life” was even nominated for an Emmy in 2018.
”There’s a deep kind of soul loneliness when you don’t have a purpose … [This work] has been very meaningful for me, being able to give a purpose to your past and use your suffering to be able to ease someone’s way,” Lewinsky said.
She emphasized the role of her family and friends in helping her endure the aftermath. Attendee Lily Frasier SC ’28 found this part of her talk to be particularly touching.
”I loved the stories about all the people that had helped her over the years: her family, her different therapists and friends. I thought that was really beautiful,” Frasier said.
Given the constant surveillance on social media, Lewinsky highlighted the importance of remembering that digital spaces are artificial. She advised making a daily list of concrete accomplishments, however small, to ground oneself.
“My therapist said not [to] judge your insides by other people’s outsides. You’re seeing a window into their fantasy life,” Lewinsky said. “If you make [everything on your list], you will be blown away by how much you have actually contributed to the world.”
Outside of advocacy, Lewinsky worked as an executive producer on The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. Lewinsky became involved with the project after seeing how cruelly the media and public treated Knox. She underscored the importance of recognizing the harmful impacts of scandals on victims, especially for women on a broader scale. For both Lewinsky and Knox, being constantly reminded of the trauma made moving forward much more difficult.
“I saw so many of the same patterns that happened to me as a young woman thrown on a global stage and being feasted on by the media. All women become collateral damage when we see women being treated and torn apart this way online,” Lewinsky said. “It was very important that we come to understand the detritus that’s left after the scandal. The blast radius is big. It happens to a family. It happens to a community.”
“It was very important that we come to understand the detritus that’s left after the scandal. The blast radius is big. It happens to a family. It happens to a community.”
Attendee Riya Saini SC ’27 was intrigued by Lewinskiy’s perspective on sensationalized media.
“The narratives and gossip that get a lot of attention — we are the ones clicking on these articles and stories on social media. Without us as consumers, these misleading narrow stories would probably not be popularized as much,” Saini said.
When Lewinsky first began reclaiming her narrative in 2014, many were suspicious that she would use the publicity to pursue political and profit-related aspirations. She acknowledged her economic privilege in being able to turn down various potentially profitable opportunities that would have held back her healing process.
”What we always see are the choices of things that people say yes to. We don’t actually see all the things people say no to,” Lewinsky said. “I’ve turned down over 11 million dollars over the years. It’s not always easy to make that choice, to not have to take my clothes off and be photographed, but I also learned to not judge women who have to do that.”
Reflecting on the aftermath of her experiences, she pondered the absurdity of being involved in one of the largest scandals that reshaped political culture. Her story provided a window into what it means to find yourself and heal under scrutiny.
“It’s very weird to be a cultural touchstone. It means sometimes that underneath everything, I can never totally feel safe,” Lewinsky said.
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