History of Monica Lewinsky in Timeline
Monica Lewinsky is an American activist who gained international notoriety in the late 1990s due to her affair with then-U.S. President Bill Clinton while she was a White House intern (1995-1997). The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal became a major political event, significantly impacting both her life and Clinton's presidency. Since then, Lewinsky has worked to redefine her public image, becoming an anti-bullying activist and public speaker, addressing issues of online harassment and reputation recovery.
July 23, 1973: Monica Lewinsky Born
On July 23, 1973, Monica Samille Lewinsky was born. She later became an activist and gained international recognition in the late 1990s due to her affair with then U.S. President Bill Clinton.
1988: Parents' Divorce
In 1988, Monica Lewinsky's parents divorced, and both remarried afterwards.
1991: High School Graduation
In 1991, Monica Lewinsky graduated from Bel Air Prep (later known as Pacific Hills School).
1992: Affair with High School Drama Instructor Alleged
In 1992, Andy Bleiler, Monica Lewinsky's former high school drama instructor, alleged that they began a five-year affair.
1993: Enrolled at Lewis & Clark College
In 1993, Monica Lewinsky enrolled at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
July 1995: White House Internship
In July 1995, Monica Lewinsky secured an unpaid summer White House internship in the office of White House chief of staff Leon Panetta, relocating to Washington, D.C.
November 1995: First Sexual Encounter with Bill Clinton
In November 1995, Monica Lewinsky stated that she had the first of nine sexual encounters with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.
December 1995: Paid Posting in White House Office
In December 1995, Monica Lewinsky moved to a paid posting in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
1995: Graduation from Lewis & Clark College
In 1995, Monica Lewinsky graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Lewis & Clark College.
April 1996: Transfer to the Pentagon
In April 1996, Monica Lewinsky was transferred from the White House to the Pentagon due to concerns about her interactions with President Clinton.
1996: Mother Wrote Biography of The Three Tenors
In 1996, Monica Lewinsky's mother, Marcia Lewis, wrote "The Private Lives of the Three Tenors", a gossip biography.
March 1997: Last Sexual Encounter with Bill Clinton
In March 1997, Monica Lewinsky stated that she had the last of nine sexual encounters with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.
September 1997: Tripp Secretly Records Conversations
In September 1997, after Lewinsky told co-worker Linda Tripp about her relationship with Clinton, Tripp began to secretly record their telephone conversations.
December 1997: Lewinsky Leaves Pentagon Position
In December 1997, Monica Lewinsky left her position at the Pentagon.
January 1998: Affidavit Denying Relationship with Clinton
In January 1998, Monica Lewinsky submitted an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying any physical relationship with President Clinton.
January 1998: News of the Clinton-Lewinsky Relationship Breaks
In January 1998, news of the Clinton–Lewinsky relationship became public knowledge. Monica Lewinsky then spent weeks hiding from public attention at her mother's residence.
January 26, 1998: Clinton Denies Sexual Relations with Lewinsky
On January 26, 1998, President Bill Clinton publicly stated, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" at a White House news conference.
August 17, 1998: Clinton Defends Statement with Semantics
On August 17, 1998, President Clinton defended his earlier statements about not having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, arguing that "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is".
1998: Truth and Context Lost
In 1998, Monica Lewinsky reflected on how the truth and context were lost during the scandal, reducing the involved women to serve political or financial purposes.
March 3, 1999: Barbara Walters Interview on 20/20
On March 3, 1999, Monica Lewinsky was interviewed by Barbara Walters on ABC's 20/20. The program attracted 70 million viewers.
March 1999: Publication of Monica's Story
In March 1999, Andrew Morton's biography, "Monica's Story", which included Monica Lewinsky's account of the Clinton affair, was published and excerpted as a cover story in Time magazine.
May 8, 1999: Saturday Night Live Cameo
On May 8, 1999, Monica Lewinsky made a cameo appearance as herself in two sketches on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
June 1999: Ms. magazine Articles on Lewinsky's Behavior
In June 1999, Ms. magazine published a series of articles exploring the feminist implications of Monica Lewinsky's behavior, with perspectives from three generations of women.
September 1999: Launch of Handbag Line
In September 1999, Monica Lewinsky launched a line of handbags under her name, sold through The Real Monica, Inc., online and in stores like Henri Bendel, Fred Segal, and The Cross.
February 2000: Jenny Craig Ads Stopped
In February 2000, Jenny Craig, Inc. stopped running commercials with Monica Lewinsky, although the endorsement deal was supposed to last six months.
February 2000: Appearance on The Tom Green Show
In February 2000, Monica Lewinsky appeared on MTV's The Tom Green Show, in an episode where Tom Green took her to his parents' home in Ottawa.
April 2000: End of Jenny Craig Campaign
In April 2000, Jenny Craig, Inc. concluded Monica Lewinsky's campaign entirely and only paid her $300,000 of the $1 million contracted for her involvement.
March 2002: HBO Special Monica in Black and White
In March 2002, Monica Lewinsky appeared in the HBO special "Monica in Black and White", answering questions about her life and the Clinton affair.
2003: Hosting Mr. Personality
In 2003, Monica Lewinsky hosted the reality television dating program "Mr. Personality" on Fox Television Network, advising young women contestants.
2005: Move to London
By 2005, Monica Lewinsky moved to London to study social psychology at the London School of Economics due to the constant media attention in the U.S.
December 2006: Graduation with Master of Science Degree
In December 2006, Monica Lewinsky graduated with a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics.
2006: Master's Degree in Psychology
In 2006, Monica Lewinsky earned a master's degree in psychology from the London School of Economics.
2006: Graduation from London School of Economics
In 2006, Monica Lewinsky graduated from the London School of Economics with a master's degree in social psychology.
2009: Correspondence with Ken Gormley
In 2009, Monica Lewinsky corresponded with scholar Ken Gormley, stating that Clinton had lied under oath.
2013: Auction of Lewinsky Items
In 2013, items associated with Monica Lewinsky that Andy Bleiler had turned over to Starr were put up for auction by Bleiler's ex-wife.
May 2014: Vanity Fair Essay Shame and Survival
In May 2014, Monica Lewinsky wrote an essay for Vanity Fair magazine titled "Shame and Survival," discussing her life and the scandal. Vanity Fair later announced her as a contributor.
July 2014: Interview in The 90s: The Last Great Decade
In July 2014, Monica Lewinsky was interviewed in a three-part television special for the National Geographic Channel, titled The 90s: The Last Great Decade. The series looked at various events of the 1990s, including the scandal that brought Lewinsky into the national spotlight. This was Lewinsky's first such interview in more than ten years.
October 2014: Public Stand Against Cyberbullying
In October 2014, Monica Lewinsky took a public stand against cyberbullying, calling herself "patient zero" of online harassment. Speaking at a Forbes magazine "30 Under 30" summit about her experiences in the aftermath of the scandal, she said, "Having survived myself, what I want to do now is help other victims of the shame game survive, too."
2014: Activism Against Cyberbullying
In 2014, Monica Lewinsky began her work as an activist against cyberbullying, marking a shift in her public persona.
March 2015: TED Talk on Cyberbullying
In March 2015, Monica Lewinsky continued to speak out publicly against cyberbullying, delivering a TED talk calling for a more compassionate Internet.
June 2015: Anti-Bullying Advocacy
In June 2015, Monica Lewinsky became an ambassador and strategic advisor for anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution. The same month, she gave an anti-cyberbullying speech at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
September 2015: Interview on Good Morning America
In September 2015, Monica Lewinsky was interviewed by Amy Robach on Good Morning America, about Bystander Revolution's Month of Action campaign for National Bullying Prevention Month.
October 2017: #MeToo Tweet
In October 2017, Monica Lewinsky tweeted the #MeToo hashtag to indicate that she was a victim of sexual harassment or sexual assault, but did not provide details.
October 2017: Foreword to Shame Nation
In October 2017, Monica Lewinsky wrote the foreword to a book by Sue Scheff and Melissa Schorr, Shame Nation: The Global Epidemic of Online Hate.
March 2018: Vanity Fair Essay
In the March 2018 issue of Vanity Fair, Monica Lewinsky wrote an essay in which she didn't directly explain why she used the #MeToo hashtag in October. She did write that looking back at her relationship with Bill Clinton, although it was consensual, because he was 27 years older than she and in a position with a lot more power than she had, in her opinion the relationship constituted an "abuse of power" on Clinton's part. She added that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to what she had experienced after the relationship was disclosed.
May 2018: Disinvitation from Town & Country Event
In May 2018, Monica Lewinsky was disinvited from an event hosted by Town & Country when Bill Clinton accepted an invitation to the event.
September 2018: Jerusalem Conference Appearance
In September 2018, Monica Lewinsky spoke at a conference in Jerusalem. Following her speech, she sat for a Q&A session with the host, journalist Yonit Levi. Lewinsky refused to answer a question about whether she thinks that Clinton owes her a private apology, and walked off the stage.
August 6, 2019: American Crime Story: Impeachment Announcement
On August 6, 2019, it was announced that the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal would be the focus of the third season of the television series American Crime Story with the title Impeachment.
2019: Interview on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
In 2019, Monica Lewinsky was interviewed by John Oliver on his HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where they discussed the importance of solving the problem of public shaming and how her situation may have been different if social media had existed at the time that the scandal broke in the late 1990s.
October 2020: Production Begins for American Crime Story: Impeachment
In October 2020, production began on the third season of the television series American Crime Story: Impeachment. Lewinsky was a co-producer.
June 2021: First Look Deal with 20th Television
In June 2021, Monica Lewinsky started her own production company, Alt Ending Productions, and signed a first look deal with 20th Television.
September 7, 2021: Premiere of American Crime Story: Impeachment
On September 7, 2021, the season of American Crime Story: Impeachment, consisting of 10 episodes, premiered. The season portrays the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal and is based on the book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President by Jeffrey Toobin. The 28-year-old actress Beanie Feldstein plays Monica Lewinsky.
October 2021: Executive Producer of 15 Minutes of Shame
In October 2021, Monica Lewinsky was the executive producer of an HBO documentary 15 Minutes of Shame, directed by Max Joseph, which focused on public shaming, online shaming, and ostracism.
February 2025: Launch of Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky Podcast
In February 2025, Monica Lewinsky launched her podcast, Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky.
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