In 1998, Monica Lewinsky went through one of the biggest scandals in American politics — but she’s refusing to let her past dictate her future.
When Lewinsky was a 24-year-old White House intern, her affair with then-President Bill Clinton thrust her into the spotlight. On Jan. 16, 1998, Lewinsky was detained by the FBI and later questioned by Justice Department lawyers.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, published on Feb. 14, she details how she and her family turned that life-changing event into a “Survivors’ Day.”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images
“We celebrate. Sometimes my mom buys me a gift or I buy myself a gift, and just make a moment of really acknowledging,” she told the magazine. She described the incident with the FBI as the “worst day of her life thus far.”
Even though she’s reclaiming her narrative, Lewinsky revealed that there are still times where she feels “triggered or angry or feel sad” about the scandal and press coverage. But the passage of time has helped her “shed a lot of that.”
Lewinsky, now 51, looked back at the affair with Clinton and described it as an “abuse of power.”
“The idea of being in a relationship with a 24-year-old is insane to me, on so many levels,” she said.
Lewinsky also revealed to the outlet that she’s planning on using her voice to continue to inspire and encourage the masses. Her new podcast, “Reclaiming,” will provide guests an opportunity to talk with Lewinsky about an event that impacted their lives, and how they’ve reclaimed their identity “on their own terms.”