Telltale Signs Monica Lewinsky's Bill Clinton Affair Was More Traumatic Than She Let On

Back in 1998, the world was rocked by the news that then president Bill Clinton had an affair with young White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Once Lewinsky met Clinton, she developed a crush, and the months-long affair would finally come to light and led to an impeachment trial for Clinton; he was acquitted. The scandal continued to plague Lewinsky's personal life, and Lewinsky was even diagnosed with PTSD from everything that happened. Even though it's been over 20 years, this moment in time seems like it has continued to shape Lewinsky's life and mindset.

At the time, Lewinsky found herself the butt of many jokes, and she also found it hard to get a job in the U.S. with all the stigma and attention surrounding her. The whole situation, as she put it in Vanity Fair, made her life "into a living hell."

We can see clues in Lewinsky's social media posts to this day that seem to be undeniably about, at least in part, the trauma that came with the scandal. One example was from May 1, 2025, Lewinsky posted on Instagram, "a woman who has been destroyed a thousand ways knows a thousand ways to rebuild herself." And in an Instagram story from June 2025, she wrote "ehhh, sorry Gen X!" on her Instagram Story over a post that said, "the nervous system doesn't separate the 'personal' from the 'political'. Generations carry in their bodies the weight of politics and history, often unconsciously."

Then there are the times that Monica Lewinsky has specifically referenced the Bill Clinton scandal on social media, though without mentioning his name directly, particularly on anniversaries of the major events. Like in 2018, she said, "for 20 years, i've marked 16 jan as the day i survived another year from 1998. on this 20th (!!!) anniversary, thinkin' maybe we could try a survivor's chain. whaddya think? (too corny?) RETWEET if you survived the unimaginable in your life," via X.

Lewinsky has taken her hard fought life lessons and turned them into a podcast called "Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky." On the podcast website, it's described as a place for Lewinsky to "continue to find my public voice ... and delve into the personal and often messy ways people find their way back to themselves." Lewinsky of all people knows the importance and value of being able to tell your own story in your own way.

These posts are in contrast to the years immediately following the Clinton scandal when Lewinsky seemed to largely keep to herself and out of the public eye. In 2014, Lewinsky said she regretted the affair. For his part, Clinton has blamed the affair on the pressures of being president and the anxiety that came with it.