‘The Clinton Affair’: Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton’s First Encounter Began After She Exposed Her “Thong Underwear”

On Sunday night, A&E aired the first two episodes of its salacious new docu-series The Clinton Affair. The six-part series follows the secret relationship between former President Bill Clinton and intern Monica Lewinsky and explores the lasting impact of the scandal on American politics. The mid-90s affair (and Clinton’s subsequent impeachment) has been well documented in books, TV shows, and movies, but The Clinton Affair has something those don’t: in-depth interviews with Monica Lewinsky herself. In the second episode, Lewinsky detailed how her relationship with the president began, and in one particularly jaw-dropping moment, she revealed that she escalated her “flirtatious” relationship with Clinton by exposing her “thong underwear” at a staff party.

In The Clinton Affair, Lewinsky explained that she and Clinton shared many “flirtatious encounters” while she was an intern, including holding eye contact for a beat too long and finding ways to touch throughout the day. By November 1995, Lewinsky had a full-blown crush on the president, and when the government shut down, their relaxed schedules enabled them to be around each other more. On the first day of the furlough, both Clinton and Lewinsky attended a small staff birthday party, and it was there that they acted upon the daily flirting.

“I realized that the top inch or two of my underwear had been showing, my thong underwear,” Lewinsky said through embarrassed laughs. “And I thought, ‘Well, I’ll up the game.’ I knew he was walking out of a room, and instead of pulling my trousers up, like I would have done in any other incidence, I didn’t.” Lewinsky explained that the move was “unnoticeable to everybody else in the room, but he noticed,” and later, Clinton invited her into George Stephanopolous’ (Director of Communications) office. “I just remember him asking me questions,” she recalled. “I don’t think at that point in my life my heart had ever beat as fast. I blurted out, ‘You know, I have a crush on you.’ And he laughed and smiled and asked me if I wanted to go to the back office. And I did.”

In the back office, Clinton “asked if he could kiss” Lewinsky, and she “said yes.” She went back to her desk shortly after, but a few hours later, the president came back to her office and said, “‘If you want to meet me in the back study in 10 minutes, you can.'” Said Lewinsky, “So I did. And it became more intimate from there.”

The first two episodes roughly follow the period from 1992 to 1996, so the docu-series hasn’t even touched to the 1998 scandal yet. To watch the story unfold, check out The Clinton Affair Monday and Tuesday at 9/8c on A&E.

Watch The Clinton Affair on A&E