Monica Lewinsky, the former White House intern at the center of a major political scandal, has spoken about her past relationship with former US President Bill Clinton. In an interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast with host Alex Cooper, she discussed the power imbalance in their affair during the 1990s. As a result, her remarks sparked debate. Many believe she deserves an apology for how she was treated at just 22 years old.

Lewinsky Acknowledges Power Imbalance

Alex Cooper shared a snippet of the interview on Instagram, writing, "This is a power imbalance at the highest level." In the video, Cooper states, "You were 22 years old. He was 49. You were an intern. He was president of the United States. There is a clear power imbalance that they never focused on in the media when all this was coming out." Then, she asks Lewinsky, "How aware were you of this power imbalance?" Lewinsky responds, "I don’t think that was something we talked about back then, in the same way that we didn’t have words like slut shaming and fat shaming." She continues, "That wasn’t something that we talked about a lot. And I think that it was really in the wake of Me Too 2.0 that we really started to look at power imbalances under the umbrella of abuse of power."

Lewinsky's Evolving Perspective on Consent

Cooper asks how Lewinsky’s views on consent have changed over time. "In 2014, you said the relationship was consensual. In 2018, you said you were reevaluating how power dynamics impact consent. Now today, where do you stand?" Lewinsky states, "I am very clear that it was not sexual assault and that there was a level of consensuality." However, she stresses that the power dynamics put her in a situation she should never have been in. Additionally, she adds that the person with more power—whether due to age, position, or financial status—bears the responsibility in such situations.

 

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Social Media Reacts

Lewinsky’s comments sparked strong reactions online. Many expressed regret over how she was treated. For example, one person wrote, "She was 22?!?!!!!! We should have been much gentler to her." Another commented, "We owe her a huge apology." A third posted, "On behalf of all Boomers, we are so sorry. Love, Millennials." Others agreed, with one saying, "The entire world owes this woman a huge apology. We are so sorry, Monica. We failed you." Meanwhile, another user reflected, "Now that I’m a 40-year-old woman, thinking about how she went through all that at 22 is just mind-boggling." However, some disagreed. For instance, one person wrote, "Her prior affair was with a married man who she also worked for… as a babysitter. Kate Nason wrote a book about it (she was the wife). It went on for years. Once is an accident. Twice is a preference." Another added, "Omg, stop giving this woman a platform. We’re all over it. She’s got to be in her early 50s at this point… let it go."

The Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton Scandal

Monica Lewinsky was a 21-year-old intern working under President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff, Leon Panetta, when she became involved in a relationship with Clinton. Consequently, the affair, which became public over 20 years ago, led to one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history.