Monica Lewinsky, the previous White House intern turned anti-bully advocate, walked off during an interview Monday night in Jerusalem when she was asked about former president Bill Clinton.
Yonit Levi, one of Israel’s top news anchors asked Lewinsky if she still expected a public apology from Clinton. “Now recently in an interview with ABC News, former president Clinton was rather irate when he was asked if he ever apologized to you personally and he said I apologized publicly, do you still expect that apology? That personal apology?” asked Levi.
“I’m so sorry I’m not going to be able to do this,” said Lewinsky, before laying her microphone down and walking off the stage.
Monica Lewinsky turned into a household name in the late 1990s for her affair with Bill Clinton. She frequently spoke about the humiliation she felt following the entire ordeal. She took to Twitter to announce that she informed Levi that the topic was off-limits prior to the interview.
“When she asked me it on stage, with blatant disregard for our agreement, it became clear to me I had been misled,” Lewinsky wrote.
She said that it was clear that she was only there to speak about the pros and cons of the Internet.
A representative for the Israeli Channel 2 News Co., which facilitated the interview in Jerusalem, said Levi honored all of Lewinsky’s requests. “We believe the question asked on stage was legitimate and respectful and one that certainly did not go beyond Ms. Lewinsky’s requests and did not cross the line,” said Alon Shani.
Levi is one of Israel’s best journalists, hosting the highest-rated prime-time daily news show on television. She’s been in the game for years and interviewed many world leaders. But she’s known for asking tough questions.
Since the issue with Clinton about 20 years back, Lewinsky has built a profession advocating against bullying, and numerous public figures have said they regretted the way she was treated 20 years ago.
In her post on Twitter, Lewinsky apologized to her followers for the abrupt ending of the interview, “I left because it is more important than ever for women to stand up for themselves and not allow others to control their narrative.”
