The Bill Clinton Scandal Cost Monica Lewinsky A Staggering Amount Of Money

The Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal was one of the biggest news stories of the late 1990s. But in the aftermath of the initial media circus, Lewinsky was left to pick up the pieces of her life, all while dealing with her newfound (and unwanted) notoriety. Much has been said about the constant ridicule the former White House intern faced at the hands of the American people due to her affair with the 42nd President of the United States. However, diving deeper into the untold truth of Monica Lewinsky reveals that the highly-publicized scandal also cost her a staggering amount of money.

In February 2025, Lewinsky launched a podcast titled "Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky" via Wondery. In the premiere episode, she opened up about the legal fees she accumulated amid the investigation into her affair with Bill Clinton while he was in office. According to Lewinsky, she and her family had to pay upwards of $1 million dollars out of pocket by the time all was said and done. Lewinsky had expected at least some financial assistance, given the extraordinary circumstances, but had no such luck. "[It was] another stripping of my sense of justice and the way the world works, and I think I had lost so much of that in the investigation," she said (via Us Weekly). "There was just a sense of unfairness. I had made mistakes, but it felt like there was one set of rules for most people, and somehow, I had to abide by a different set of rules."

Given the exorbitant her legal fees she faced in the aftermath of the Bill Clinton scandal (which wasn't the President's first), you may be wondering how Monica Lewinsky dug herself out of that hole — and if she had any help. Speaking to New York Magazine in 2001, Lewinsky explained that while her family did offer some support, she was determined to pay the bulk of her legal expenses on her own. "My father and stepfather both have been so good to me, but I am determined to take responsibility for my financial obligations," she said, adding, "It's part of moving on with my life."

At the time, New York estimated Lewinsky's legal debt to be in the range of $1.5 million. She managed to reel in $500,000 by authorizing Andrew Morton's biography "Monica's Story," plus a reported $1 million by selling the rights to her story internationally. But while this would technically be enough to cover Lewinsky's legal fees, there was still the matter of her normal cost of living. Lewinsky burned through most of her savings just to stay afloat amid all the controversy and litigation, leaving her with little wiggle room. She did ink a $1 million deal with Jenny Craig, but the weight-loss company ended up terminating the deal after only paying Lewinsky $300,000. The White House intern turned activist considered taking legal action, but also knew that could easily backfire. "They could come after me, and God knows I can't afford that," she told New York.