‘It just felt unbearable’: Monica Lewinsky likens Clinton scandal to ‘public burning’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Monica Lewinsky recently opened up about the public scrutiny and backlash she faced over her infamous affair with former president Bill Clinton nearly two decades ago. The activist said her suffering felt similar to the 'public and emotional burning,' of women who were accused of being witches in the past.

Lewinsky was in her early 20s when she was working as an intern at the White House under the Clinton administration. During that time, she and the 42nd president reportedly got involved in a romantic relationship before it became public in the late 1990s.

Monica Lewinsky says Clinton affair scandal was 'awful and destructive'

During an interview with ‘The Jamie Kern Lima Show’, the host began, “You fell in love with your boss. Yours just happened to be the president of the United States and the most powerful man in the world. And married.”

To which, Lewinsky replied, “They need to own that.”

She then went on to recall the time when the scandal was all over the news. “I remember waking up and I lived in the Watergate apartment complex… newspapers down the entire hallway… and seeing my name there… for something that was awful and destructive to, to so many people personally… watching myself be torn apart,” Lewinsky stated.

Monica Lewinsky says she felt like being 'tied to a post and burned at a stake'

The public speaker shared how the shaming took a toll on her mental health. She told Lima, “I already had self-esteem issues. Like I wouldn't have been in this situation if I didn't have self-esteem issues. I think that it was also reflective of… women. How we feel about women.”

During the interview, Lewinsky also explained how the backlash felt like a witch trial. “You know, the same way that there were women tied to a post and burned at a stake and called a witch. It was not a physical burning, but a public burning, but an emotional burning.”

Monica Lewinsky reveals there were moments when she felt like she 'could not take another breath'

The activist also shed light on the discrimination she faced following the scandal as Lima pointed out, “It wasn't called the Clinton scandal. It was called the Lewinsky scandal… It's your name everywhere.”

“And my family's name. It's not even just, just me, but everybody who had my last name suffered,” Lewinsky added. She further shared, “There were a number of moments… where it just felt unbearable. I just did not think I could take another breath.”

Monica Lewinsky says she did not change her name because she 'wasn't ashamed'

Lewinsky also revealed to the host why she did not consider changing her name. She explained, “We discussed it many times in my family. And when I was sitting to write a resume, I thought about it again.”

But she did not do it for two reasons. “One was more effective life and the other was something stronger in my soul,” Lewinsky stated.

She also noted that she did not try to change her identity because she “wasn't ashamed” of who she was  “as a person.”