History of Monica Lewinsky in Timeline
Monica Lewinsky is an American activist who gained international notoriety due to her affair with President Bill Clinton while she was a White House intern from 1995 to 1997. The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal that followed significantly impacted American politics and culture. In recent years, Lewinsky has become an anti-bullying activist, speaking out against online harassment and public shaming, drawing from her own experiences during the scandal. She has also contributed to discussions about the #MeToo movement and the power dynamics inherent in workplace relationships.
July 23, 1973: Monica Lewinsky Born
On July 23, 1973, Monica Samille Lewinsky was born. She is an American activist who later became known for her involvement in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
1988: Parents Divorced
In 1988, Monica Lewinsky’s parents divorced, and each has remarried since.
1991: High School Graduation
In 1991, Monica Lewinsky graduated from Bel Air Prep (later known as Pacific Hills School).
1992: Affair with Drama Instructor
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 and moved to Washington, D.C.
November 1995: Sexual Encounters with President Clinton
Starting in November 1995 and continuing until March 1997, Monica Lewinsky stated that she had nine sexual encounters with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.
December 1995: Paid Posting in White House
In December 1995, Monica Lewinsky moved to a paid posting in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
1995: Graduated with Psychology Degree
In 1995, Monica Lewinsky graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
1995: White House Internship
In 1995, Monica Lewinsky started as a White House intern. It was during her time as an intern between 1995 and 1997 that she had an affair with U.S. president Bill Clinton.
April 1996: Transferred to the Pentagon
In April 1996, Monica Lewinsky's superiors transferred her from the White House to the Pentagon because they felt that she was spending too much time with Clinton. She became an assistant to chief Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon.
1996: Mother Wrote Biography
In 1996, Monica Lewinsky's mother, Marcia Lewis, wrote a "gossip biography" called "The Private Lives of the Three Tenors".
March 1997: End of Sexual Encounters with President Clinton
In March 1997, the nine sexual encounters between Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office concluded. These encounters started in November 1995.
September 1997: Linda Tripp Recorded 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: Left Pentagon Position
In December 1997, Monica Lewinsky left her position at the Pentagon.
1997: Affair with Bill Clinton
In 1997, the affair between Monica Lewinsky and U.S. President Bill Clinton concluded. The repercussions of this affair became known as the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
January 1998: Affidavit Denying Relationship
In January 1998, Monica Lewinsky submitted an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying any physical relationship with Clinton.
January 1998: News of Clinton–Lewinsky Relationship Broke
In January 1998, news of the Clinton–Lewinsky relationship broke, leading to intense media scrutiny. Lewinsky spent the following weeks in seclusion at her mother's residence.
January 26, 1998: Clinton's Denial
On January 26, 1998, President Clinton stated, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" during a White House news conference, further fueling the media frenzy.
August 17, 1998: Clinton Defends Statement
On August 17, 1998, Bill Clinton defended his previous statement about not having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, arguing it depended on the meaning of the word "is".
1998: Truth and Context Lost
In 1998, according to Monica Lewinsky, the truth and context were lost amidst the political and financial interests surrounding the scandal, reducing the women involved to serve various purposes.
March 3, 1999: Barbara Walters Interview
On March 3, 1999, Barbara Walters interviewed Monica Lewinsky on ABC's 20/20, which was watched by 70 million Americans.
March 1999: Publication of Monica's Story
In March 1999, Andrew Morton's biography "Monica's Story", which included Monica Lewinsky's side of the Clinton affair, was published. It was 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 during an episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.
June 1999: Ms. Magazine Articles on Feminism
In June 1999, Ms. magazine published a series of articles discussing whether Monica Lewinsky's behavior had any meaning for feminism.
September 1999: Handbag Line Launch
In September 1999, Monica Lewinsky launched a line of handbags bearing her name under the company name The Real Monica, Inc.
February 2000: Jenny Craig Ads Stopped
In February 2000, Jenny Craig stopped running the commercials featuring Monica Lewinsky.
February 2000: Appearance on The Tom Green Show
In February 2000, Monica Lewinsky appeared on MTV's The Tom Green Show.
April 2000: End of Jenny Craig Campaign
In April 2000, Jenny Craig concluded Monica Lewinsky's advertising campaign entirely and only paid her $300,000 of the $1 million contracted for her involvement.
March 2002: HBO Special Appearance
In March 2002, Monica Lewinsky, no longer bound by her immunity agreement, appeared in the HBO special "Monica in Black and White", part of the America Undercover series, answering questions about her life and the Clinton affair.
2003: Hosted Mr. Personality
In 2003, Monica Lewinsky hosted the reality television dating program Mr. Personality on Fox Television Network.
2004: Response to Clinton's Autobiography
In 2004, after Bill Clinton's autobiography, "My Life", appeared, Monica Lewinsky gave an interview with the British tabloid Daily Mail.
2005: Moved to London
By 2005, Monica Lewinsky found that she could not escape the spotlight in the U.S., which made both her professional and personal life difficult. She stopped selling her handbag line and moved to London to study social psychology at the London School of Economics.
December 2006: Graduated with Master of Science Degree
In December 2006, Monica Lewinsky graduated from the London School of Economics with a Master of Science degree. Her thesis was titled, "In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third-Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity".
2006: Master's Degree
In 2006, Monica Lewinsky obtained a master's degree in psychology from the London School of Economics.
2009: Corresponded with Ken Gormley
In 2009, Monica Lewinsky corresponded with scholar Ken Gormley and wrote that Clinton had lied under oath when asked about their relationship.
2013: Auction of Items
In 2013, items associated with Monica Lewinsky that Andy Bleiler had turned over to Starr were put up for auction.
May 2014: Vanity Fair Essay
In May 2014, Monica Lewinsky wrote an essay for Vanity Fair magazine titled "Shame and Survival", discussing her life and the scandal. She became a Vanity Fair contributor afterwards.
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 explored various events of the 1990s, including the scandal that brought Lewinsky into the national spotlight. This marked Lewinsky's first interview of this type in over a decade.
October 2014: Public stand against cyberbullying
In October 2014, Monica Lewinsky took a public stand against cyberbullying, identifying herself as "patient zero" of online harassment. At a Forbes magazine "30 Under 30" summit, she shared her experiences following the scandal and expressed her desire to help other victims of online shaming.
2014: Activism Against Cyberbullying
In 2014, Monica Lewinsky began speaking out as an activist against cyberbullying.
March 2015: TED Talk on Cyberbullying
In March 2015, Monica Lewinsky continued her advocacy against cyberbullying by delivering a TED talk, calling for a more compassionate Internet.
June 2015: Anti-bullying Ambassador
In June 2015, Monica Lewinsky became an ambassador and strategic advisor for the anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution. That same month, she delivered an anti-cyberbullying speech at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
September 2015: Good Morning America Interview
In September 2015, Monica Lewinsky was interviewed by Amy Robach on Good Morning America, discussing Bystander Revolution's Month of Action campaign for National Bullying Prevention Month.
October 2017: Tweets #MeToo
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 further details.
October 2017: Foreword to 'Shame Nation'
In October 2017, Monica Lewinsky wrote the foreword to the book "Shame Nation: The Global Epidemic of Online Hate" by Sue Scheff and Melissa Schorr.
March 2018: Vanity Fair Essay
In the March 2018 issue of Vanity Fair, Monica Lewinsky wrote an essay in which she reflected on her relationship with Bill Clinton, characterizing it as an "abuse of power" due to the age and power differential, and revealed her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
May 2018: Disinvited from Town & Country event
In May 2018, Monica Lewinsky was disinvited from an event hosted by Town & Country after Bill Clinton accepted an invitation to the same event.
September 2018: Walks off stage at Jerusalem conference
In September 2018, Monica Lewinsky spoke at a conference in Jerusalem. During the Q&A session, she walked off stage after being asked by journalist Yonit Levi about whether she thought Bill Clinton owed her a private apology, a topic she had previously deemed off-limits.
August 6, 2019: American Crime Story: Impeachment Announced
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, titled "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." They discussed the importance of addressing public shaming and how social media might have affected her situation during the scandal in the late 1990s.
October 2020: Production Begins on American Crime Story: Impeachment
In October 2020, production began on the third season of American Crime Story, titled "Impeachment," which focuses on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. Monica Lewinsky served as a co-producer for the series.
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 third season of American Crime Story, titled "Impeachment," premiered. The season portrays the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and is based on Jeffrey Toobin's book, "A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President."
October 2021: Executive Producer of '15 Minutes of Shame'
In October 2021, Monica Lewinsky served as executive producer for the HBO documentary "15 Minutes of Shame," directed by Max Joseph, which explores the themes of public shaming, online ostracism, and humiliation.
February 2025: Launches 'Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky' Podcast
In February 2025, Monica Lewinsky launched her podcast, "Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky".
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