What did Jay Leno say? Monica Lewinsky calls out Former late-night host criticizing Stephen Colbert over being too political

Monica Lewinsky, an American activist, has called out the former late-night host Jay Leno for criticizing current late-night shows. Giving an example of Stephen Colbert’s show, Leno slammed it for becoming “too political” and allegedly alienating half their audience.

In a response to a post on X tagging her by another netizen, she wrote,

“totally see where you’re coming from but I think he’s pointing out is that Leno made many, many cruel jokes about me (so much so that I ranked in the top 10 of his targets from all the years he was on the air).”

Another post on X by the account @KnowingBetterYT discussed how Lewinsky was treated earlier by Leno. They wrote:

“When I remember all the Monica Lewinsky jokes I heard as a kid, the person telling them is Jay Leno. This is just like all those people who didn't think South Park was political until it made fun of Trump. It's only "political" when they disagree with it.”

This is not the first time Monica Lewinsky has called out Leno for his indecent jokes about her. Here is what we know.

Monica Lewinsky calls out Jay Leno for cracking jokes on her alleged link with former president Bill Clinton

Monica Lewinsky called out Jay Leno for his jokes, which revolved around her alleged affair with former president Bill Clinton, on the Call Her Daddy podcast in February 2025. She was 22 at that time and worked as an intern at the White House. While Clinton was 49 and married to Hillary Clinton.

Reflecting on her treatment in the media during that time, she told Alex Cooper, the host of the podcast, that she was only the non-public figure in his “list of targets.”

“The men told a lot of jokes, right? So, the late night hosts.”

Monica Lewinsky slammed the former host of the NBC’s The Tonight Show and said,

“I think when Jay Leno retired, some media…organization had done a study and listed the Top 10 targets of his late night show, and I was on that list. And I was the only person who wasn’t a public figure.”

She further added that Clinton should have resigned over their mid-1990s affair or at least found out another way rather than throwing a young person just starting out under the bus to save himself.

Monica Lewinsky added that she wasn’t allowed to interview for specific jobs during that time, as Clinton’s wife, Hilary, was considered running for office. However, the scandal didn’t stop her from thriving and she went on to become an accomplished television personality and a producer.

Born on 23 July 1973 in San Francisco, California, USA, per her IMDb profile. Lewinsky is known for American Crime Story (2016), The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox (2025) and 15 Minutes of Shame (2021).

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She studied at Beverly Hills High School and then attended the Santa Monica College and later Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she got a degree in psychology in 1995. It was the same year she became a White House intern.

She regained the spotlight in 2014 after she wrote an essay, titled Shame and Survival for Vanity Fair. She has now become a prominent activist against cyberbullying and public harassment.

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