--- title: Madeleine Albright: 'Hell' Remark at Clinton Rally Was Wrong description: Madeleine Albright apologized on Friday for comments that sparked controversy last week while she campaigned for Hillary Clinton canonical: https://time.com/4220323/madeleine-albright-place-in-hell-remark-apology/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-12T23:10:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:10.338Z article:section: Politics og:title: Madeleine Albright Apologizes for 'Special Place in Hell' Comment og:description: She said she still believes women have an obligation to help each other og:url: https://time.com/4220323/madeleine-albright-place-in-hell-remark-apology/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaab7007d007b2975/69887d85428a9e74e6cd1623/madeleine-albright-hillary-clinton2.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton Holds New Hampshire Rally og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Madeleine Albright Apologizes for 'Special Place in Hell' Comment twitter:description: She said she still believes women have an obligation to help each other twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaab7007d007b2975/69887d85428a9e74e6cd1623/madeleine-albright-hillary-clinton2.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Madeleine Albright Apologizes for 'Special Place in Hell' Comment > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d7970e2d-3b20-4c69-9ebe-b0db0566bfc2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME's Jay Newton-Small Asks Madeleine Albright About Her Controversial Comments [Watch (HLS stream): TIME's Jay Newton-Small Asks Madeleine Albright About Her Controversial Comments](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/CYfxLJ5T.m3u8) (1:20)  _Published 2016-02-12_  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 12, 2016 11:10 PM UTC  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 12, 2016 11:10 PM UTC Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright [apologized on Friday](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/opinion/madeleine-albright-my-undiplomatic-moment.html?%5Fr=1) for [comments that sparked controversy last week](http://time.com/4210769/hillary-clinton-madeleine-albright-new-hampshire/) while she campaigned for Hillary Clinton, saying it was the wrong time to use her trademark phrase that, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” “I absolutely believe what I said, that women should help one another, but this was the wrong context and the wrong time to use that line,” Albright [said in a column](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/opinion/madeleine-albright-my-undiplomatic-moment.html?%5Fr=1) published Friday in the New York _Times_. “I did not mean to argue that women should support a particular candidate based solely on gender. But I understand that I came across as condemning those who disagree with my political preferences. If heaven were open only to those who agreed on politics, I imagine it would be largely unoccupied.” Albright made the remark while campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, who trails rival Bernie Sanders among young female voters. In the column, Albright said she still believes women “have an obligation to help one another.” “While young women may not want to hear anything more from this aging feminist, I feel it is important to speak to women coming of age at a time when a viable female presidential candidate, once inconceivable, is a reality,” she wrote. Albright defended her original remarks [in an interview with TIME](http://time.com/4212577/madeleine-albright-hillary-clinton-special-place-hell-defends/) earlier this week, saying people need to understand who has been fighting for issues on their behalf and that women are generally judgmental of each other. She said the remarks were taken out of context. In Thursday’s Democratic debate, Clinton was asked if she agreed with what Albright said. “She’s been saying that for as long as I’ve known her, which is about 25 years,” Clinton said. “But it doesn’t change my view that we need to empower everyone, women and men, to make the best decisions in their minds that they can make. That’s what I’ve always stood for.” ## Transcript And just remember there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other. She's been saying that for as long as I've known her, which is about 25 years. But it doesn't change my view that we need to empower everyone. What do you say to Millennials who feel like they're being told they have to vote for her because she's a woman? No, I didn't say that. I said that I think that people need to understand Who has been really fighting on behalf of issues that are of interest to women. And, clearly, Hillary Clinton has. And I have said there's a special place in hell, because I do think, just generally, we are very judgmental of each other. What I really wanted was for them to listen. Listen to what she's saying. I think we're never gonna have a better person speaking on our behalf. Do young women not appreciate the struggle? Perhaps they don't realize what it's taken to get here? Well, some of that, I think, because life is better thanks to people like Hillary, and me. [ LAUGH ] What concerns me most of all is it could go backwards. Mm- hm. Because if you listen to things there are people who are saying things that are very anti women. Mm- hm. In terms of decisions tha we we have to make a better lives and I think we all have to remember that whatever age we are that things can always go back. Thank you so much I really appreciate it. 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