Jan. 19 marks the 25th anniversary of the day that Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky became public news.
In honor of the dubious historical date, which led to Clinton getting impeached, Lewinsky revealed 25 “random” things she’s learned in the aftermath of the scandal in a piece for Vanity Fair.
Some of her life lessons may seen obvious, such as her revelation that “the 24/7 scandal cycle has turned out to be even more devastating over time — to lives, careers, reputations, public discourse, and the American psyche” than it was in the 1990s.
Or this one:
“Choose your friends carefully. Twenty-five years ago I had one of the world’s worst friends: Linda ‘Judas, hold my beer’ Tripp. While I have since let go of the resentment and bitterness that surrounded her and her betrayal, it’s not lost on me how very fortunate I am to have been able to trust new people.”
But some of the random things she’s learned, really do seem random, such as:
- “It took me 22 years to be able to watch ′The West Wing’ — which, yes, I agree, was brilliant. (And thankfully, no one wore a beret.)”
- “Turns out our parents are not ‘dumb.’ Quite the opposite. (But they are still annoying at times.)”
- “The multiverse is real.”
- “Paul Rudd looks the same. How can that be?”
Lewinsky saved what she thought was the most important random thing she’s learned for the end.
“Lastly, I don’t know how to say this other than to be direct and insufferably corny: You can survive the unimaginable,” she wrote, nothing that “not for nothing did I name my film and TV production company Alt Ending.”