Early Life and Education

Monica Samille Lewinsky was born on July 23, 1973, in San Francisco, California, and raised in Southern California. She graduated with a degree in psychology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, in 1995.

Before her notoriety, Lewinsky was involved in a relationship with her former high school drama instructor, Andy Bleiler. Their relationship reportedly began in 1992 and continued into her early professional life. At the time, Bleiler was married, and their involvement later became public during investigations into her time at the White House. This revelation contributed to media depictions of Lewinsky that focused on her private life rather than the broader institutional dynamics at play, a narrative she would later publicly challenge.

White House Internship and the Clinton Scandal

In 1995, Lewinsky secured an internship at the White House through a family connection. After several months, she was offered a paid position and continued working in the White House’s Office of Legislative Affairs. During this time, she began an intimate relationship with President Bill Clinton.

In 1996, Lewinsky was transferred to a role at the Pentagon. Officially, the move was related to staff changes, though speculation persisted that it was intended to create distance from the president due to growing concerns among senior White House staff. There, she confided in Pentagon colleague Linda Tripp about her relationship with Clinton.

Tripp secretly recorded her conversations with Lewinsky and eventually shared them with independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who was investigating unrelated matters regarding President Clinton. These recordings became central evidence in what would become the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal—a pivotal moment in U.S. political and cultural history.