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Monica Lewinsky Says She Panicked That Sarah Paulson’s Linda Tripp Would Win Sympathy

The podcast exchange underscores how dramatizations can reshape audience perceptions of real people.

Overview

  • Lewinsky said on her Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky podcast that she feared Paulson’s performance in Impeachment: American Crime Story could make viewers like Linda Tripp.
  • She recalled Paulson reassuring her early in production, saying the portrayal would not mirror the positive reception of Paulson’s Marcia Clark role.
  • Paulson told Lewinsky she understood the discomfort any show of humanity toward Tripp might cause and emphasized she was not trying to emotionally exonerate the character.
  • Paulson said she disagreed with Tripp’s actions but is deeply proud of the portrayal, noting she even considered an “L” tattoo to mark the role.
  • The 2021 series revisited Tripp’s secret recordings released during the Clinton v. Jones case, and Lewinsky served as both a subject and a producer.