Monica Lewinsky Writes That Roger Ailes Made Her Life a ‘Nightmare’

Monica Lewinsky hopes that the death of former Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes marks the end to “hate and harassment” on the channel.

In an op-ed for the New York Times published on Monday, the anti-cyberbullying advocate spoke out against the network’s treatment of her after her relationship with then-President Bill Clinton was made public in 1998. She noted that the network even ran a poll asking viewers to vote on whether she was an “average girl” or a “young tramp looking for thrills.”

“Their dream was my nightmare. My character, my looks and my life were picked apart mercilessly. Truth and fiction mixed at random in the service of higher ratings,” Lewinsky wrote. “I ceased being a dimensional person. Instead I became a whore, a bimbo, a slut and worse.”

Lewinsky said that she was proud of Gretchen Carlson, Megyn Kelly and other women for coming forward with accusations that Ailes sexually harassed them, which ultimately led to his departure from the network. (Ailes denied all allegations against him). And she hopes that the network makes changes to improve its culture.

“I hope the Murdochs understand that Americans will no longer tolerate a corporate culture that views hate and harassment as part of running a successful news business,” she wrote. “So, farewell to the age of Ailes. The late Fox chief pledged Americans fair and balanced news. Maybe now we’ll get it.”

Read Lewinsky’s full op-ed on the New York Times.