Monica Lewinsky delves into the Bill Clinton scandal in her new podcast ‘Reclaiming’—‘I lost my anonymity, my future …’

Monica Lewinsky is stepping back into the public eye on her own terms with the launch of her new podcast, “Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky”. The premiere episode, released on Tuesday (February 8), delves into her personal journey of overcoming public shame and reclaiming her voice after the infamous scandal that defined much of her early life.

Looks back on the Bill Clinton scandal

Monica Lewinsky, once at the center of one of the most scrutinised political scandals in American history, opens up about the years of personal struggle that followed.

Lewinsky, now 51, discussed the profound effect that the 1998 Bill Clinton scandal had on her life

“Coming out of ’98, I lost my anonymity, I lost my future, I lost my sense of self, I think I lost trusting myself in many ways,” she said in the episode.

She described how her time in Washington, D.C., and her White House role profoundly affected her.

“I fell in love with D.C. and the White House and the job and the environment and then, very unfortunately, I fell in love with my boss who was married and also the most powerful man in the world,” she admitted. “What followed was an inappropriate relationship that lasted for two years.”

Reevaluating the past

Lewinsky shared how age and experience have given her a new perspective on that period of her life. Now 51, Lewinsky reflects on how time has allowed her to view her past differently.

“Once you pass 40, you start to recontextualize your younger years,” she explained.

She acknowledged that she once believed the relationship had a future.

“I think I believed that I mattered a lot more than I did,” she said.

Resurfacing after two decades

After nearly 20 years out of the spotlight, Lewinsky reemerged in 2015 with a TED Talk on public shaming, which went viral. She has since become an outspoken advocate against online bullying.

During the scandal and Clinton’s subsequent impeachment, Lewinsky faced unprecedented media scrutiny. Now, she is using her platform to challenge the culture of public shaming.

Inspired by Michelle Obama

Lewinsky credited former First Lady Michelle Obama as an inspiration for her podcast’s theme.

“The idea of reclaiming was something I had put in my Notes app not long after Michelle Obama had written Becoming and had kind of started that trend of ‘Oh, everybody has a book with one word and an -ing,'” she told Rolling Stone.

She envisioned Reclaiming as a way to reflect on the different aspects of herself that she has taken back over time.

A new chapter begins

With “Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky”, she aims to bring conversations about personal identity, resilience, and moving forward into the mainstream. As she stated in the premiere, her journey from scandal to activism has been long and painful, but she is determined to tell her story on her own terms.

Lewinsky’s journey has been marked by resilience. In the podcast, she describes her transformation from a figure of scandal to a voice for change.

“This episode offers an intimate look at my journey from survivor to activist—and the strength it took to become the woman I am today,” she said.

With Reclaiming, Lewinsky aims to use her voice to empower others who have faced similar public scrutiny.