Will Bill Clinton ever apologize to Monica Lewinsky?

When FX released 'Impeachment: American Crime Story,' attention was brought back to one of the most famous affairs in modern history....Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton.

Our attention has been brought back to the Presidential affair and how the world treated Monica Lewinsky throughout the whole ordeal. In an era of the #MeToo movement and a more enlightened public, we are able to see just how disgraceful and unbalanced the treatment of Monica Lewinsky was.

Yes, Monica Lewinsky knowingly and willingly slept with a married man; however, he was 27 years her senior and one of the most powerful men in the WORLD at that time. " Also, what 22-year-old hasn't made some poor romantic choices??

(Photo: By Clinton White House - https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/47839, Public Domain)

While Bill Clinton did have to face the courts of law over his actions, overall, he made it out of the whole scandal pretty much unscathed....and basically threw Monica Lewinsky under the bus. This leaves us asking, "Will Bill Clinton EVER apologize to Monica Lewinsky???"

One might think that perhaps, in the heat of the moment, twenty years ago, in a panic, Bill Clinton just did what was best for him. We can all be selfish at times. However, in 2018 Bill Clinton appeared on the 'NBC Today Show' and partook in a particularly heated interview on the subject.

When asked if he ever apologized to Lewinsky over the scandal, Clinton said, "I apologized to everybody in the world.” Adding, “I have not talked to her, I never talked to her. But I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry. That’s very different. The apology was public.”

However, when the show's hosts continued to probe Clinton and asked him if he felt he owed Monica Lewinsky an apology, the former President replied, “No, I do not.”

Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky's nightmare of a scandal began on January 17th, 1998. 24-year-old Monica Lewinsky was forced into the spotlight and the general public's scrutiny when her co-worker Linda Tripp secretly recorded Monica confessing to her affair with the then-President.

A Drudge Report headline on January 17th read, "Newsweek Kills Story on White House Intern," revealed Lewinsky and Clinton's secret to the world, forever changing, in particular, Lewinsky's life.

In response, Bill Clinton went on the offensive and totally denied the affair with Monica Lewinsky.

(Photo: NY Daily News)

Of course, we all remember how later he would sheepishly admit to the error of his ways and apologize to the public.

All of this led to Clinton's impeachment trial, which ended favorably for Bill, and he was acquitted.

Monica Lewinsky, on the other hand, didn't get off so easy. She was the butt of many rude, perverted jokes for years.

Lewinsky was publicly shamed for her role in the affair, and job prospects were affected. Lewinsky eventually moved to England to seek anonymity and reprieve from the constant negative attention.

In comparison to Monica, Bill Clinton's life stayed on track post-scandal. After being acquitted from his impeachment, Clinton fulfilled his term as president until January 20th, 2001, when his time in office came to an end.

Hillary Clinton fully forgave her husband and Bill Clinton went on with life. Many Americans even claimed that Bill Clinton had been their favorite President.

After leaving office, Clinton continued to maintain an active public presence. The former President of the United States toured the world, giving talks, writing books such as his best-selling autobiography 'My Life' in 2004 and the New York Times bestseller 'Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World' in 2007.

Further evidence of how unsullied Clinton's name was following the scandal was demonstrated when  U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan made Bill Clinton head of relief effort in Asia following the 2004 tsunami.

Clinton founded the William J. Clinton Foundation (later renamed the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation)  to work on projects and address issues in line with both his own and Hillary's values.

Bill Clinton also assisted his wife, Hillary Clinton, as she campaigned for the Democrats. Hillary served as a junior US Senator in New York from 2001-2009. In both 2008 and 2016, Bill actively helped to support Hillary Clinton on her presidential campaign trail.

The controversy resurfaced briefly when Hillary Clinton made her presidential bid around the same time that Monica returned to the public eye as an anti-bullying speaker, writer, and advocate.

According to 'The TODAY Show,' Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made a statement saying that Bill Clinton should have resigned following the affair.

However, in Bill Clinton's interview in 2018 with 'The TODAY Show,' the former-President said even in the new #MeToo era, he would not have resigned if the scandal were to occur. Clinton said, “I think I did the right thing. I defended the Constitution.”

(Photo: Screenshot from The TODAY Show)

Clinton went on to say that he certainly did not get off easy on the scandal, saying on 'The TODAY Show' in 2018, “Nobody believes that I got out of that for free. I left the White House $16 million in debt.” Later in the interview, he added, “But you typically have ignored gaping facts in describing this.”

(Photo: Screenshot from The TODAY Show)

At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Mr. Clinton will ever be giving Monica Lewinsky an apology. However, in an interview on NBC's 'TODAY Show' on September 7th, 2021, Lewinsky said she no longer needs an apology from the former President.

(Photo: Screenshot from The TODAY Show)

Monica Lewinsky, however, did say that she believes that Bill Clinton should WANT to apologize. Lewinsky said, "...he should want to apologize in the same way I want to apologize any chance I get to people my actions have hurt."