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Jake Tapper has reconnected withMonica Lewinskyalmost 25 years after they had gone out on a date together.
The CNN anchor, 52, interviewed Lewinsky, 48, on Tuesday’s broadcast ofThe Lead with Jake Tapper, during which he spoke with the the anti-bullying activist about the date they had gone on back in 1997 and how it was featured in the latest episode ofImpeachment: American Crime Story.
Lewinskyserves as a produceron the FX series, which centers around her mid-90s affair with then-PresidentBill Clintonthat ultimately led to his impeachment.
“First of all, Monica: Yes, I have to disclose — full disclosure — in tonight’s episode, our G-rated date from December 1997 … is portrayed,” Tapper began his segment, prompting a laugh from Lewinsky.
After Lewinsky noted that the pair had only gone out on “one date,” Tapper joked that the actor portraying him inImpeachmentis “way better looking than me now or then.”
“No,” Lewinsky assured Tapper.
Tapper famously wrote about his date with Lewinsky for theWashington City Paperin January 1998, shortly after news of the Clinton scandal broke.
According to Tapper’s article, he initially met Lewinsky during a going-away party for a friend at a bar in Washington, D.C. After getting her phone number, the two made plans for a dinner date at a local Tex-Mex restaurant.
“Right off, Monica was different from the standard D.C. date: not a salad-picker, she joined me in appetizers and an actual entree of her own. She had a beer or two, while I drank bourbon. She even offered to pay for her share, a fairly rare offer I rejected but appreciated,” Tapper wrote.
Monica Lewinsky.Axelle/Bauer-griffin/filmmagic
Calling Lewinsky a “sweet girl,” Tapper recalled in his article that their second date “got lost” in his busy schedule, and another encounter with the former White House intern never came to fruition.
“I don’t expect to see Monica again,” he wrote at the time. “To be honest, I’m not sure I would have seen her even if she hadn’t ended up buried beneath the headlines.”
However, Tapper’s article propelled him into a career in journalism. He went on to become a correspondent forSalonand contributed to various publications before landing a role at CNN.
RELATED VIDEO: Monica Lewinsky on Whether Bill Clinton Owes Her an Apology: ‘I Don’t Need It’ Anymore
During Tuesday’s broadcast ofThe Lead with Jake Tapper, Lewinsky spoke with Tapper about the Clinton scandal and said that “aspects of Bill that we haven’t seen before” are portrayed inImpeachment.
“I think what’s really important to remember in today’s world is that we never should’ve even gotten to a place where consent was a question,” Lewinsky said, noting that her consensual relationship with Clinton — who is 27 years her senior — was “wholly inappropriate” given that he was then “the most powerful man” as president.
She added, “I think that the power differentials there are something I couldn’t ever fathom consequences at 22 that I understand, obviously, so differently at 48.”
source: people.com
