After getting the glossy treatment from Elle magazine and a modeling campaign from clothing brand Reformation last year, Monica Lewinsky is once again testing the waters for a comeback.
The former White House intern, who became a household name in 1998 when her affair with then-President Bill Clinton was revealed, is now trying her hand at podcasting and has been making the rounds to promote her new venture.
Her strategy has worked in so far as she made headlines after a recent interview for saying she believes Clinton should have resigned in the wake of the scandal, but has Lewinsky overplayed her hand? On Friday’s show, Megyn was joined by Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova, hosts of Red Scare, to discuss Lewinsky’s comments about Clinton and why it is time for her to “move on.”
New Revelations
Earlier this month, Lewinsky launched her own podcast, Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, which promises “honest, wide-ranging interviews with all kinds of people.” She has been sitting for interviews of her own to promote the project, and the headlines generated from her interviews have focused on what she has had to say about her relationship with Clinton.
Case in point: Lewinsky’s revelation on Call Her Daddy that she thinks Clinton should have resigned in the wake of their affair. “I think that the right way to handle a situation like that would have been to probably say it was, you know, nobody’s business, and to resign… or to find a way of staying in office that was not lying and not throwing a young person who was just starting out in the world under the bus,” she told host Alex Cooper.
“And at the same time, I’m hearing myself say that and it’s like, okay, but we’re also talking about the most powerful office in the world,” she continued. “So, I don’t want to be naive either.”
While Megyn was no fan of Cooper’s interview with Kamala Harris in the lead up to the 2024 election, she gave her credit for asking a question that Lewinsky seemingly hasn’t answered before. She also said there is “zero chance” Clinton – or any president – would have considered resigning in such a situation.
Time to Move On?
With Lewinsky back in the news again, Megyn said she is “really torn” about the 51 year old. “Clinton is a douche bag in many ways. That is clear. He definitely #MeToo’d her with the power imbalance and all that,” she explained. “Sure, [Lewinsky] really took a beating in the public eye… and she was very young. But on the other hand, she made the choices she made. When you are 22, you have knowledge about the risks.”
At this point, Megyn believes Lewinsky needs to “move on” from the scandal. “I’m sick and tired of hearing about this,” she said. “If you are going to launch a podcast, go for it. But it’s like this is her only thing. What has she done since then?”
Khachiyan said the reaction to Lewinsky at the time is what “red pilled” her “against feminism” because so-called feminist ‘leaders’ like Gloria Steinem controversially downplayed Clinton’s behavior. But she said where Lewinsky finds herself today reveals something about the fallout of these #MeToo events – regardless of when they took place.
“It is sad, but that is the real takeaway from all of these type of #MeToo scandals… There is a reluctance and inability to just move on,” she said. “Their identities are forever tethered to this traumatic episode, and they have to re-traumatize themselves over and over… It starts to feel, after a while, kind of cynical because it is clearly a ploy to promote their own work.”
The problem, Megyn acknowledged, is that she doesn’t have another way to get attention. “At this point, she should be saying, ‘I’ve said all there is to say on that subject. Let’s talk about something else,'” she said. “I’m sure that interview did talk about her new show or whatever, but no one cares. The only reason they care about her is because of that scandal.”
“That is why,” Megyn concluded, “I probably – if I were Monica Lewinsky – would have chosen a life in the private sector just doing some good.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Red Scare by tuning in to episode 1,016 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.