Monica Lewinsky is receiving accolades on social media after walking out on an Israeli interviewer for asking an “off limits” question about Bill Clinton.
Lewinsky, in Jerusalem for a conference on Monday night, left the stage after TV anchor Yonit Levi asked if she expected a personal apology from Clinton, 20 years after her affair with the president made her name instantly recognizable.
“I’m so sorry, I’m not going to be able to do this,” Lewinsky said, before putting her microphone down and quickly exiting the stage. She later tweeted it was an “off limits” question and that she’d been “misled” by Levi to believe she wouldn’t be asked about Clinton. Hadashot News, Levi’s outlet, said it “stood up to all of its agreements with Ms. Lewinsky and honored her requests,” according to a statement shared with CNN.
Lewinsky’s response has drawn applause from many on Twitter. One user called Levi’s handling of the interview “dishonest and unethical,” while another user championed Lewinsky for handling it with “class.”
She handled it with class. She could’ve retorted with something nasty to question the interviewer’s career path decisions, but she did not – to her credit. I hope Ms Lewinsky continues in her business success.
— Dave Rils (@DRils) September 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/elisarimaila/status/1036963138128826369
Better headline: “Monica Lewinsky stands up for herself.”
— Laurel (@LaurelS52) September 4, 2018
Actually, I don’t blame Ms. Lewinsky. She didn’t abuse her position. She is the victim and probably still dealing with the trauma of it all.
— RWill1810 (@WillieRWilliam1) September 4, 2018
Others were a bit more cynical, saying Lewinsky “made her name” from her relationship with the ex-commander-in-chief.
https://twitter.com/johnnybeebops/status/1036998728899416064
https://twitter.com/Tyler_Tortoise/status/1036998264531300352
Lewinsky, now an anti-bullying advocate, was on hand to discuss the dangers of social media. Her interview with Levi, according to Lewinsky, was supposed to be a brief followup to her speech, not a news interview.