Monica Lewinsky urges critics to move beyond decades-old jokes about her White House past

During a recent episode of the "All the Cool Girls" podcast, Monica Lewinsky reflected on her evolution since the 1995 White House internship that led to a national scandal. At 53, she explained that entering her 50s allowed her to let go of worries and stop giving weight to criticism, likening it to giving fewer "f---s" over time. Lewinsky expressed frustration with people who still recycle the same jokes about the affair after nearly three decades, urging them to find new material.

She recounted how the scandal, sparked by recordings made by Linda Tripp and publicized during Bill Clinton's impeachment, forced her into hiding, but she has spent the past ten years rebuilding her identity. Discussing concepts of power, she distinguished between authority exercised over others and personal inner strength, and described resilience as a spiral rather than a straight line. Overall, she hopes critics will eventually move beyond the old narrative and allow her story to be seen in a broader context.