Which comedians apologized to Monica Lewinsky over Clinton scandal joke? Activist thanks John Oliver for apology

Monica Lewinsky recently expressed gratitude to comedian John Oliver for apologizing for his remarks about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. Oliver, like many other comedians, had made jokes about the infamous scandal.

For context, in June 1995, at the age of 21, Monica Lewinsky began an unpaid internship at the White House in the office of Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. At 22, she became involved in a s*xual relationship with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, which lasted for two years. This relationship led to Clinton's impeachment in 1998, on charges of perjury (for lying under oath about the affair) and obstruction of justice. However, Clinton was ultimately acquitted on all impeachment charges.

Meanwhile, in the August 12 episode of Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, host Monica Lewinsky, joined by John Oliver, expressed her gratitude for his acknowledgment of the times he had cracked jokes about her. She said that it was "meaningful" to her and helped bring them close together.

According to The Wrap, the comedian once compared Hurricane Katrina to Lewinsky, stating:

“This is arguably a failure of leadership from the top of the federal government … Hurricane Katrina is George Bush’s Monica Lewinsky. The only difference is this: hundreds of thousands of people weren’t stranded in Monica Lewinsky’s Vag**a.”

Meanwhile, many other comedians also took a jab at Monica and her infamous relationship with the former U.S. President. One of the most frequent was Jay Leno, who has not apologized to her.

Others, including the Late Show host David Letterman, have expressed regret.

During a Late Show segment with Barbara Walters in 2014, Letterman apologized to Monica, sharing that he felt "bad" for pushing the humiliation to the level of "suffocation." His remarks came after Monica, in a Vanity Fair article, detailed the scrutiny she faced from the scandal.

“I started to feel bad…Because myself and other people with shows like this made relentless jokes about the poor woman. And she was a kid, she was 21, 22…” Lettermen stated.

Another comedian who responded to her interview with the outlet was Bill Maher, who claimed to be "moved" by her story. Bill, who had previously referred to Lewinsky as a “homewrecker” and said she should be the one to apologize, stated:

“I was moved by it. I gotta tell you, I literally felt guilty. I remember doing a million Monica Lewinsky blow j*b jokes, and I kinda feel bad,” Bil said  in 2014, on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher.

Monica Lewinsky on her appearance on John Oliver’s show

Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky... pic.twitter.com/8Ghy5x88ea

— Gerrie Pieters (@PietersGerrie) July 25, 2025

Furthermore, in her podcast Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, host Monica Lewinsky also thanked John Oliver for inviting her onto his show, Last Week Tonight, in 2019. She explained that the appearance was a significant part of her reclaiming journey and helped introduce her story to a younger audience.

In response, Oliver stated:

“I’m also very, very grateful that you did it, because I know that it was not an easy decision to make. As part of that process that you’re clearly going through, a TED talk and a Vanity Fair op-ed is precise, right? And it’s all on your terms. You can get word-for-word, moment-to-moment. You can control all of it.”

He continued:

“So I was extra grateful that you were willing to put yourself in the position where you would be under less control. And I do think it was a massive act of trust on your part. And I am very grateful that you thought we were worthy of that trust, because I know your trust had been broken in the past.”

Meanwhile, in his 2019 interview with Lewinsky about the Bill Clinton scandal, Oliver addressed Jay Leno’s remarks about wanting to see "a bit of civility come back," which he made on his show a few days back. Oliver pointed out the irony by referencing Leno’s past comments about Monica, stating:

“You know, like that time that he did a bit with a fake book about Lewinsky titled The Slut in the Hat. And if that’s what he means by ‘civility,’ may I offer my new book Oh, the Places You Can Go F*ck Yourself, Jay Leno!”

Subsequently, in a February 26, 2025, episode of Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy, Monica referred to a study, seemingly from George Mason University, which found that Leno targeted her around 450 times throughout his career, and that she "was the only person who wasn't a public figure," according to Monica.

However, the same month, a source told TMZ that Leno didn't intentionally target Monica; she was just an "easy punchline" at the time due to her constant presence in the media.

The recent conversation between John Oliver and Monica Lewinsky is available on Lewinsky’s official YouTube channel.