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Larry King Live

Millennium 2000: Monica Lewinsky Discusses Life After the Clinton Scandal

Aired January 3, 2000 - 9:00 p.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, in her first live primetime interview ever, Monica Lewinsky. She's with us.

It's all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

Our special guest tonight on LARRY KING LIVE in Los Angeles is Monica Lewinsky, who's still a resident of this city.

She'll be moving to New York, when?

MONICA LEWINSKY, FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN: Middle or late -- next month -- or this month...

KING: Anxious...

LEWINSKY: ... actually.

KING: Anxious to get out of here and go there?

LEWINSKY: I'm excited about moving. I'm really excited.

KING: And full-time New York resident, right?

LEWINSKY: Pretty much. I've still got, obviously, business here in L.A. and family here, so I'll be back, but...

KING: You've got family on both coasts, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh, trading parents.

KING: Tell me first about this Jenny Craig thing and how it happened.

LEWINSKY: Well, it's -- first, let me say it's just been a wonderful, wonderful experience for me so far. And I'm really fortunate to have been this successful at it. And...

KING: How did it happen? Did they call you? You call them?

LEWINSKY: Well, it was sort of a mutual coming together. They contacted a family friend, and I was at a point in my life where I was looking to not just...

KING: Lose weight?

LEWINSKY: Not just lose the weight, though, but really get control of it and finally be rid of some of my food issues. And I think they were looking for some way to bring attention to their program, which is really great.

KING: But for it to work, you've got to lose weight, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh. That's where we all crossed our fingers.

KING: So they began this before they began it. In other words, you had to lose the weight before they would begin a campaign?

LEWINSKY: Well, I think it's sort of been a joint effort, obviously, before we could begin the campaign, yes. I think that I wouldn't have really felt comfortable doing something beforehand. It's -- I don't know if -- you've -- you're awfully fit. I don't know if you've ever had to deal with your weight.

KING: I was overweight. I was overweight.

LEWINSKY: Were you?

KING: There's nothing worse, yes.

LEWINSKY: Then it is, it's very difficult to deal with. So I just -- I don't think I would have been be able to go out.

KING: Now, though, once you come out like this you can't gain weight again or you'd embarrass a whole company, right?

LEWINSKY: Well, I think -- I mean, I hope I won't gain weight. And I'm learning -- I've still got some more to lose, and I've been learning the tools to help me maintain this weight loss up until this point. And I think I'll be able to do it this time.

KING: How do you react to those, some in the press, knocking the fat that you're doing this? Knocking Jenny Craig, knocking you for doing a commercial, for endorsing a product?

LEWINSKY: Well, I guess it's a little disappointing to me. And my first thought, really, is I wonder if they've ever had to deal with weight problems themselves. Because I think if they had, they would know that if you've got a program that works like this, and you have an opportunity to share your success and the opportunity that it might help someone else find success, too, and alleviate some of that pain, you want to take that opportunity.

KING: Do you think the anger, though, might be based on using your fame? Feeling that you have either no -- well, you certainly have a right. But they've been really very rough on you, some have been pretty rough on you. How have you reacted to that, by the way?

LEWINSKY: I have tried to not pay attention to it, actually. I haven't...

KING: It's hard, though, isn't it?

LEWINSKY: It is. But I think if you try to skip over those sections in the paper or not watch too much TV, you just -- I really try to stay focused on the positive things, because I know that there are a lot of neat things that I can share with people about what this program's done for me and how I've been successful at it, how it's brought balance to my life -- and not just in losing weight, but in other areas of my life too.

KING: Let's talk about some of that. What has this been like? I mean, it's obvious we -- the story is known by the world. What's it like to be the subject of a story known by the world? What's day-to- day living like?

LEWINSKY: It's -- it can be somewhat embarrassing sometimes, but I think it's -- I'm really trying to be on the track of a 26-year-old. So I'm trying to do the best I can at dating and doing -- going out with my friends, and I'm -- you know, I support myself. I'm still trying to take care of my legal bills, so I'm trying to do the things that someone my age would do.

KING: Do you feel a victim?

LEWINSKY: No, I don't.

KING: How do you feel? What do you -- in this whole story, Monica Lewinsky is what?

LEWINSKY: I think she's a young woman who made some private mistakes and who's very sorry for those mistakes, but was also part of some other forces that she certainly couldn't control and know about.

KING: And how do you deal with, Monica, I mean, you walk down the street, you know they know you, right? You go on an airplane, they know you. Most 26 -- indeed, we could say 99.5 percent of all 26-year-olds, unless they're major screen stars, are not known. What's it like when you know they know you?

LEWINSKY: Well, I guess it's -- sometimes I just try and pretend that I don't notice that anybody notices me. And that works sometimes. But sometimes that doesn't work at all, and I think I find that people have been incredibly warm to me. So that makes it easier to accept. But it's also -- it's a reminder of what's happened, but it's also a validation for sort of having survived something difficult.

KING: Do you look straight ahead when you walk down the street, or are you the kind of person who nods and smiles?

LEWINSKY: Depends on my mood, depends on the day, depends on where I am and what I'm doing.

KING: Have any people been rude to you?

LEWINSKY: No, no.

KING: Jokes, snide remarks, nothing?

LEWINSKY: Maybe once or twice, but not anything that even compares to how amazing people have been. And not just in the way people came up -- have come up to me now, sort of, that I'm actually able to go out in public and sometimes without a hat, but I think, too, with a lot of the letters that I received throughout the past two years and continue to receive, it's just -- it's heartwarming. I mean, for complete strangers to sit down and share something personal with you, it's touching.

KING: Do you ever feel that in -- have -- you have your own business, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: I understand that's sold out, right?

LEWINSKY: Yes, hopefully we'll do the same for spring and summer.

KING: You've got your own line of products?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: So you're making a living. You've got the Jenny Craig thing, and that's going to get a lot of attention. Do you ever believe -- ever think that you're taking advantage of the situation?

LEWINSKY: I hope not. I try to make very careful decisions about what I choose to do, and it's -- I know that unfortunately one of the misperceptions about me, I think, is that I'm sort of a moth to the limelight. And that's not it at all. I think anybody who really knows me knows I'm not a media hound and knows that I'm really sort of trying to do the best I can with the situation that I found myself in.

KING: Even though you know you're part of the fault for the situation?

LEWINSKY: Of course. And I'm not blameless for it. I -- I completely recognize that I -- that I bear some responsibility in what happened, but I certainly didn't choose to become a public figure.

KING: No, you also -- naturally. Do you equate with yourself that you're part of history?

LEWINSKY: No. I...

KING: No, you don't think of it? You're going to be studied in textbooks.

LEWINSKY: I recognize that. I mean, and I -- because I think that sort of not recognizing the -- the overall grandness of it in terms of history is, I guess, a little immature. And so I do. But I try to not pay attention to it because it's too awesome in a sense. And I really hope that as time goes on, it will become a shorter and shorter footnote in the history books. KING: The life and times of Monica Lewinsky. She's with us. We'll also include your phone calls. I'm Larry King.

By the way, on Friday night, Senator and Mrs. Dole will be here together.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Our guest is Monica Lewinsky. She is now the -- a major spokesperson for Jenny Craig. Her television ads debuted this weekend. They'll be print ads too, I guess.

LEWINSKY: I believe so.

KING: Yes, it's a whole campaign around you.

By the way, the story is that you get bonuses depending on weight loss. Is that true? It's none of our business, but is it true?

LEWINSKY: I think you said it best, Larry. It's a private contract.

KING: But it's a good incentive. You know, people have had that in other -- football players get incentives -- drop 10 pounds, we'll give you this.

LEWINSKY: I think the best incentive is being able to put my jeans on again.

KING: OK. Do you intimidate men, do you think? Like guys ask you out -- you go out on dates, right?

LEWINSKY: Not too many, but...

KING: Not too many?

LEWINSKY: No.

KING: You don't get asked out a lot?

LEWINSKY: No, not as much as I'd like to be. It's difficult. I think it's...

KING: For the man?

LEWINSKY: I think it's difficult for me and for the guy. It's -- I've been lucky that I haven't gone out with a jerk yet.

KING: No? No nerd?

LEWINSKY: But it's...

KING: No guy who said, what's your sign?

LEWINSKY: Well, they might have, but it was appropriate, so.

KING: OK.

LEWINSKY: It's just -- I think it's -- I think it might be that people still don't fully know me as a person, and people are still getting to know me because there was an entire year spent with the media sort of creating Monica Lewinsky, and that wasn't me. So it takes time for people to see that I am just a normal person.

KING: But a boy -- a man knows when he asks you out, you go to dinner, people are going to look at the table, people are going to look at him, wondering what it is. So you have a lot of obstacles into that first date, don't you?

LEWINSKY: Well, I think that the first sign is where do they take you? Is it a well-lit restaurant? Is it a dark restaurant? So it's usually a success if you can see that it's sort of not a showy restaurant and you feel like someone wants to sit across the table and enjoy dinner with you.

KING: Is the best approach to talk about it, to say you had this thing with the president, and I read all about it, but I am here to -- is that the best way, or to act as if it doesn't happen?

LEWINSKY: I think probably the best way would be whatever makes someone comfortable. I mean, that's...

KING: Would that make you uncomfortable?

LEWINSKY: No, I think whatever -- what makes me uncomfortable is when someone else is uncomfortable, so, because I'm a pretty open person and I've really had to come to terms with everything that's happened and deal with it. So if it helps to talk about it, then I'll talk about it, if it's someone worthwhile. If not, get them out to door.

KING: Have you met someone you liked?

LEWINSKY: Sure, yes.

KING: I mean, are there -- you want to be married, right?

LEWINSKY: Yes.

KING: Is your goal the typical young pretty girl's goal in America -- marriage, children, life?

LEWINSKY: Well, thanks. Definitely. I've always really been a romantic at heart, and I have always wanted kids, and I think the idea of sharing your life with the right person is amazing, actually. I think it's great. And my friends who are married are just blissfully happy, and...

KING: Do you envy them?

LEWINSKY: No, I am happy for them. I mean, I can't wait for my turn. But it's -- they're good examples.

KING: Are there parameters? Does someone have to -- I mean, look at -- competitive -- they look at the fact that you had a relationship with the president of the United States -- not many people can stand up to that. Do you have standards you want in a person? Do they have to be successful? Do they have to be financially successful? Do they have to be...

LEWINSKY: I think probably the qualities that I look for in a man are somewhat different than they were before I became a public person, but not that much different. I think that, sort of, the element of trust is certainly much bigger for me, but the other things that -- the other qualities, intelligence and kindness and sense of humor, those things.

KING: But they could be a schoolteacher or a carpenter.

LEWINSKY: Sure, I mean, I think it's...

KING: They don't have to be a United States senator. They don't have to be a moviestar. They don't...

LEWINSKY: No, no. I think it's -- there certainly, as you said before, there are a lot more complications now. So I think right now, I am still in a period of trying to find out what works. I mean, I have incidents still, unfortunately, where you get surprised by the paparazzi, and that...

KING: They still follow you?

LEWINSKY: Sometimes, and it's -- it makes for a good test, though, for your date.

KING: For a guy, you're not kidding.

What was that like, by the way, during the hectic days, when you would go out in the street and -- I would drive by and watch them every day at your law offices.

LEWINSKY: Well, my lawyer's law offices.

KING: Their law offices, the guys would hang out there all day, run across the street for food, and come back and eat and wait. What was that like for you?

LEWINSKY: It was so...

KING: You couldn't go out, right?

LEWINSKY: Oh, no. And it was -- it seems somewhat ludicrous to me. I mean, and it was -- it just -- it seemed unbelievable, and I didn't quite understand -- I looked the same every day.

KING: They have pictures from yesterday.

LEWINSKY: Exactly. And here I am, walking out of my building, getting into a taxi, wearing a somewhat similar outfit from yesterday, my hair is not that much different, makeup is not that much different. What's so new? And it just didn't make sense to me, and so I just pretended that they weren't there, and that worked pretty well for me.

KING: What -- when that story first broke, when you first saw your name mentioned, do you remember your first reaction? Where was it by the way? Was it "Newsweek"? Was it...

LEWINSKY: No, it was "The Drudge Report," and I was...

KING: And he -- someone reported about "The Drudge Report," because how many people were paying attention to "The Drudge Report," right? It had to be someone reporting on "The Drudge Report."

LEWINSKY: I am trying to think. I am not sure I can say how I found out. I learned it on "The Drudge Report," and I didn't have my computer. So I was downstairs at this packing/shipping place on their computer, and at this point, I was still a private citizen, so it was somewhat odd to me to be in this public environment...

KING: See your name.

LEWINSKY: ... and to read this and...

KING: Did you know then, oh, boy?

LEWINSKY: Well, I think, as most people know, the days leading up to when my name came out were somewhat telling that it wasn't going to be a good year, so.

KING: You knew then, right?

LEWINSKY: Yes.

KING: How'd you handle that?

LEWINSKY: I don't know that I did handle it. I mean, I cried and lot. I freaked out a lot. I mean, it was just -- it was scary.

KING: More with Monica Lewinsky on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: What happened during all of this Monica, to family? I mean, your father was on this show. I am sure you saw him.

LEWINSKY: Of course.

KING: And your stepmother was on this show.

LEWINSKY: Yes.

KING: Spoke to your mother the other day. I know this must have -- how did they take it, from your perspective? LEWINSKY: This was devastating to everyone in the family. And not just the immediate family but far-reaching as well. And to my friends, too. But I -- my sort of nuclear family was just amazing, and I would not be here today had my family not stood by me the way they did.

KING: Even though you were dealing with a separated family, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: Father and stepfather, mother and stepmother all supportive?

LEWINSKY: Incredibly.

KING: And your sibling?

LEWINSKY: Incredibly.

KING: Friends? Any friends leave you?

LEWINSKY: My friends have been absolutely unbelievable. I had a really neat experience last week because I got to have all three of my closest friends, the three of whom had to testify, were all here in L.A. together. And they all three hadn't been together with me at the same time, and so that was -- they know I'm so mushy. And so we went to lunch, and it was just -- it just meant so much to me, because I think especially -- I mean, family is important, and that certainly is something I've learned. But for someone my age, your friends are really important.

KING: In daily living, who's -- how -- is it tough -- how are you paying legal bills? They still there?

LEWINSKY: They're still there.

KING: You have some income now. You could whittle that down, right?

LEWINSKY: Right. Well, I mean, I'm working on that. I mean, I'm 26 years old and I'm taking care of myself. I'm not supported by either set of my parents, so I'm...

KING: Nor have you asked?

LEWINSKY: No. I think that during a time when I wasn't able to get any financial support outside of the family, they were supportive, as you would sort of expect. But I'm 26, so it's important for me to take care of that.

KING: And the lawyers understood that when they took it on, didn't they?

LEWINSKY: Um -- I...

KING: Did they, or didn't they?

LEWINSKY: Well, I think the -- I mean, all -- all I had -- a few sets -- or two sets of lawyers. And I think that it's kind of a sticky situation. Um, it's...

KING: Are they bugging you for money? No, really, I'm surprised at that.

LEWINSKY: Next question. No, I mean they -- they -- I think that Plato and Jake are working now to -- I know that they're helping me make sort of -- Plato is making adjustments where he can, and they're trying to help me.

KING: Payment arrangement?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh. But I think it's -- I think everybody feels that they worked hard, and I think it feels...

KING: They want their money?

LEWINSKY: They want to be compensated. And I'm terribly, terribly grateful for all the hard work that everybody put into this. And there isn't a feeling that people shouldn't be compensated for the hard work that they did. And if they hadn't done all of that, I -- I mean, I got my immunity because of it. And it's -- I'll always be grateful for that. I just, you know...

KING: Oh, well, yes, it's not easy.

LEWINSKY: Taxes and...

KING: Yes.

LEWINSKY: ... agents and all sorts of other things. So it's, you know, you end up with not much of the dollar when it finally gets to you.

KING: You do not -- you do not have an apartment in Trump Tower in New York, one would gather?

LEWINSKY: No.

KING: We'll be back with more of Monica Lewinsky after this.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: How do you react in view -- it's obvious -- how do you react when you see the president on television or read about him in the paper? You can't look at it dispassionately. It's not someone, like, out there. How do you look at it?

LEWINSKY: It's -- I think as each day goes on I really am farther and farther removed from this situation, and it's...

KING: You look at him as just the president? Can't.

LEWINSKY: I'm working towards that. I mean, I really -- I can't stress this enough. I have really put so much energy into trying to work on myself and work on learning how to balance my food and work on learning how to not see, you know, not judge myself so much for what I eat, and working in therapy on personal issues that...

KING: You're putting it behind you is what you're saying?

LEWINSKY: I put it behind me.

KING: You have put it behind you.

LEWINSKY: I have put it behind me.

KING: But it's going to linger with you all your life. I mean, the name will be lingering with you all your life.

LEWINSKY: Well, as does every person who's been in my life. I mean, I think that's what life is. It's a journey where you meet people, you interact with them. Some experiences are good and some are bad.

KING: And sometimes feelings don't go away.

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: You must still have some feelings. I mean, it's a jump...

LEWINSKY: Some days -- I mean, I'd be lying to say my heart is always cold, but it's not -- it's not anything like what it used to be.

KING: Any bitterness?

LEWINSKY: No, I've really -- I had to put that behind me. I really had to sort of let go in order to be able to move forward and work on myself and, not to sound egocentric -- myself, myself, myself -- but...

KING: It's about you. You're the best.

Linda Tripp, who you said in the Barbara Walters interview you hate -- I think it was the term you used. Did you say you hate Linda Tripp? What was the term you used? I forget what it was. Anyway, on this program, Linda Tripp said if she saw you, she would hug you, and she felt sorry for you. Did you see that show?

LEWINSKY: Um -- I think so, I think so.

KING: OK. How do you feel about her?

LEWINSKY: I think because she's in trial, it's probably not appropriate for me to comment. I'm sorry.

KING: All right, what are your personal feelings toward her? OK, I understand.

LEWINSKY: Really, in that sense, I don't think that it would be appropriate.

KING: OK, was it emotionally tough to testify?

LEWINSKY: It was -- it was difficult for me, because I haven't dealt with those emotions or really thought about the events of that time for awhile. So, fortunately I have a good memory, so I kind of was able to gear it up again. But it was just -- it was stressful.

KING: And she wasn't in the room, was she?

LEWINSKY: No, no.

KING: That would have been more stressful, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: It's hard to put this away, isn't it?

LEWINSKY: I keep trying.

KING: Well, I mean, but it is hard. It's hard for you because it is a public -- it's a major public story.

LEWINSKY: I think so. Well, obviously.

KING: Were there other friends you confided in during this period...

LEWINSKY: Which...

KING: ... who didn't tape you or talk about it? I mean, was Linda Tripp the only person you were confiding in?

LEWINSKY: No, and those friends ended up with legal bills. So, I mean they were...

KING: They were called in?

LEWINSKY: ... the ones who had to testify. And I think that's -- I mean, they were my true friends who ended up having -- being forced to share information that they wouldn't have shared with anybody unless they were forced to under -- by law.

KING: As you look back, were you just a young girl talking as any young girl in that position would?

LEWINSKY: I think not necessarily young girl. I think most women -- I mean, a lot of the women I've encountered, sort of...

KING: Would have thought that...

LEWINSKY: ... from younger to much older have all sort of tried to make me feel like I'm not alone. KING: Most people are nice to you, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh. I'm very grateful for that.

KING: And that must be terrific for you.

LEWINSKY: It's wonderful.

KING: We'll take a break and take some calls for Monica Lewinsky.

This is LARRY KING LIVE.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: By the way, since going on the Jenny Craig diet, you have lost 31 pounds. Is that correct?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: Is there goal by the way? Do you have a...

LEWINSKY: Yes, I think I -- I mean, my goal for me is a little -- probably more mental, I mean, in the sense of I want to feel healthier and it will -- how I'll look. But it's probably about 15 more pounds, so...

KING: Toughest days are the days you want to binge, right? Because the...

LEWINSKY: Yes, I mean there's...

KING: The alcoholic wants to drink, the gambler wants to bet.

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh. Someone told me something really interesting today, that sort of in the face of stress you either want to fight or flight. And the thing to do did if you can't fight or flee is to just flow. And I thought that was -- actually, my consultant from Jenny Craig told me that. And...

KING: And if you can say it fast, you're pretty good, too.

LEWINSKY: Right.

KING: You could fight or flee or flow.

LEWINSKY: But it's something that, you know, today I was nervous about coming on here, so today would have been a perfect day to want to have some comfort food.

KING: You're not -- you're not still nervous, are you?

LEWINSKY: Yes.

KING: Let's take a call. Let's see what the public thinks.

Boston, Massachusetts, for Monica Lewinsky -- hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: Hi, Monica.

LEWINSKY: Hi.

CALLER: Monica, I am overweight myself, so I feel for you. And I wanted to know, what do you do when you're tempted to eat something you know you shouldn't have? What do you do now? How do you stop yourself from doing that?

LEWINSKY: Well, one of the tools that I've really learned on the Jenny Craig program is to sort of think about it more. And so I stop, and before I eat the food think about do I really want it? Can I wait 20 minutes and see then if I really want it? And sometimes I still do. And at that point, think about what the best portion would be and allow myself to eat it and be there and enjoy it in the moment and sort of work out the rest of my day so that my food's balanced and kind of be OK with it.

KING: It's a daily thing, though, isn't it?

LEWINSKY: It is, it really is.

KING: Indianapolis for Monica Lewinsky -- hello.

CALLER: Hey, Larry.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: Monica.

LEWINSKY: Hi.

CALLER: Hi, my prayers are with you.

LEWINSKY: Thank you.

CALLER: I just wanted to ask, earlier in the show you'd said you really didn't want to be in the limelight. But now you are kind of in the limelight promoting something. So how do you feel about that? I mean, is that a double standard?

LEWINSKY: Well, I...

KING: Fair question.

LEWINSKY: No, very fair question. I don't think it's a -- I hope people that don't see it as a double standard, because I -- I'm in a position right now where I'm trying to support myself and pay my legal bills, and so I'm looking for kind of the best way to do that. It would be too chaotic for me to go to a traditional job. I'm not being supported by my parents, and I chose something among a lot of different things that I felt was honorable and that I thought would be helpful to me to...

KING: Kind of betwixt -- you're caught here.

LEWINSKY: Sort of.

KING: In other words, you don't want to be public...

LEWINSKY: Right.

KING: ... but to make money you have to be public.

LEWINSKY: Well, and -- and also, too, it's -- it's sort of not doing something in public doesn't make people not recognize me. And it doesn't give me my life back. And I do need to -- I do have financial responsibilities.

KING: So you're -- it's a Catch 22. You're betwixt and between in a sense, right?

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: You've got -- you need the income.

LEWINSKY: Uh-huh.

KING: And you can't take a traditional job. That would just never work for you, right? You can't go work in a P.R. firm?

LEWINSKY: Not right now, no. And maybe down the line I'll go back to school, and who knows what will happen. But right now, this is -- this is what I'm doing.

KING: Do you see yourself as a housewife someday? Housewife- housewife?

LEWINSKY: Well, I think I...

KING: Home with the kids? I'm -- hey, Phil, how did it go today?

LEWINSKY: I think I see it -- I think being a mom can be a full- time job. And I think it's a great full-time job. And if I'm lucky enough to be in a financial position to be able to do that, then that's great.

KING: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania -- hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry, hi, Monica.

KING: Hi.

LEWINSKY: Hi. CALLER: The year 2000 is a presidential year. And my question is, has your experience influenced your opinion of presidential politics, and would you get involved in this year's race in the new millennium?

LEWINSKY: My interest in politics is not very high at all right now.

KING: You were a political major, weren't you?

LEWINSKY: No, I was actually a psychology major.

KING: You were?

LEWINSKY: Yes. And I sort of am not very interested in politics.

KING: You're turned off by it?

LEWINSKY: Yes. I think that I'll register to vote, of course, and we'll see what happens. We'll see how I feel.

KING: You're going to be a New Yorker.

LEWINSKY: Yes.

KING: You got thoughts on the Hillary Clinton-Giuliani race, if that happens?

LEWINSKY: Well, I sort of -- I think that voting preferences should be kept quiet, private and quiet.

KING: All right. Fair to ask though, do you feel bad for her, badly for her?

LEWINSKY: I have a lot of personal remorse for what she's gone through and I'm sure what their daughter has gone through, what Chelsea has gone through. It's...

KING: Because you're Chelsea's generation, right?

LEWINSKY: Yes.

KING: Did you know Chelsea?

LEWINSKY: No.

KING: Never met her?

LEWINSKY: I don't believe so.

KING: Jackson, Mississippi, hello?

CALLER: Hello, Larry.

Monica, let me ask you, I feel that you were abused by Ken Starr and those slick Republicans in Washington. How do you feel about the future of our capital, Washington, in the hands of people like that?

KING: Political question.

You don't want to discuss politics, but do you feel abused? Did you feel abused?

LEWINSKY: I don't think I probably would be OK answering that.

KING: Because of the immunity thing?

LEWINSKY: Yes, I -- I'm sorry. I'll...

KING: It's not a trial.

LEWINSKY: No.

KING: Clayton, North Carolina, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry.

Hi, Monica.

LEWINSKY: Hi.

CALLER: Monica, you look great.

LEWINSKY: Oh, thanks.

CALLER: Do you think -- I need to try to lose weight, and I was going to try Jenny Craig since you became spokesperson. And I am just wondering if you would have had more trouble losing the weight on the program without being paid as the spokesperson?

LEWINSKY: I don't think so. I would imagine not. I think that the Jenny Craig program has been around for a long time and people have been very successful on it. So I think I would have found my success whether or not -- hopefully.

KING: Can you stay a couple of more minutes?

LEWINSKY: Actually, I've got a run, I'm sorry.

KING: All right, let me get in one more call.

Las Vegas, Nevada -- hello.

CALLER: Hi, Monica.

LEWINSKY: Hi.

CALLER: I was just wondering, in this past year that you went through this whole privacy issue was a big concern. I want to know how you feel, what you've learned with our laws in the court about what John Q. Public needs to know about how important our privacy is allowed to be.

KING: What do you think about that? Good question.

LEWINSKY: Great question.

KING: And you can answer it.

LEWINSKY: Yes. And actually, I had a really neat opportunity at Georgetown Law. Professor Catial (ph) invited me to talk to with his constitutional law class, and that was -- privacy -- the privacy issue was really sort of the main topic in ideas that we were exchanging. And from my experience this past two years, I think people need to realize that your e-mails can be read and made public , and that you need to be cautious. I mean, that also I think...

KING: We have to live like scared people?

LEWINSKY: No, I don't think so, but I think -- I -- one of the things that I was a little bit disappointed about was not seeing how -- I guess I am not saying this very clearly, but was -- that people didn't seem to pay too much attention about their privacy issues, and I'm really glad that this caller asked this question, because it shows that people are interested in it, and I think as Americans, we should see that. I mean, I don't -- obviously there are a lot of horrible things that happened over the past two years, but I think at some point, we all need to look at what we can learn from it, too. I know I have learned things...

KING: With technology, you worry that there's going to be less of it, right?

LEWINSKY: Sure, I mean also there are issues that -- right. I mean, the privacy also within the courts. You have things that, because of certain laws, you can be forced to testify about issues that should be kept private. And you can be forced to turn over your computer that may have private documents on it, things that you've -- I mean, there's so many things that you don't think about -- the books you read. I mean, you don't normally think twice about, do I want to pay cash for something or write a check or credit card based on what kind of item you're buying because someone might find out, and that's a little bit how I think now.

KING: Do you think your life will ever be private?

LEWINSKY: I hope so. I hope so.

KING: Thanks, Monica.

LEWINSKY: Oh, thank you, Larry.

KING: Good luck.

LEWINSKY: Thanks.

KING: Monica Lewinsky, now a spokesperson -- you can sit until we break...

LEWINSKY: OK. KING: You can jump up...

LEWINSKY: I am leaving.

KING: ... for Jenny Craig. We're going to spend our remaining moments with Tony Robbins on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE.

We thank Monica Lewinsky for joining us, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back on LARRY KING LIVE.

We had agreed to a limited amount of time with Monica Lewinsky, and she gave us more than we expected, and we thank her very much.

And we welcome now the famed peak performance coach Tony Robbins. Well, how would you -- it's silly not to ask this. How do you think she handled herself? You're a judge of performance.

ANTHONY ROBBINS, PEAK PERFORMANCE COACH: I don't know if I am the judge, but I think she handled herself well. I think you can see that she's certainly matured in her ability to communicate. I think not only to other people, but to herself, what she believes and what she feels. I think she's very congruent in what she shared.

KING: Those are the kind of things you teach right.

ROBBINS: Yes, absolutely.

KING: Overcoming this -- obviously she had a lot of problems with her own self, right?

ROBBINS: Right.

KING: Self feelings for herself.

ROBBINS: I think most people don't really know what they really feel. They don't know what they really want. And so what we tend to do is we rush to try to fulfill a void inside ourselves in some way, and some people do it through alcohol, and some people do it through food, and some through sex and some through significance and some in positive ways -- through sports, or spiritual belief or contribution, and I think life is just a matter of learning better ways to meet our needs in a way that doesn't just serve us but hopefully serves society as well.

KING: Have you dealt with a lot of people whose problem is weight?

ROBBINS: Yes, yes.

KING: Is that one of the tougher things to deal with?

ROBBINS: I know it's one of the tougher ones, honestly. I think, you know, what gets people to want to deal with is leverage. I mean, leverage means -- a change in anything, Larry, is not a matter of can you do it. Almost anything you can change. The question is, will you change it? The will comes from having the motivation. It's not a matter of ability; it's a matter of motivation. So for some people, that motivation is doing something for their kids. For some people, they think it's life and death, like when you had your heart situation. For some people, it's pride, you know -- I can't take one more day looking like this, feeling like this. And for some people, you know, it can be a lot of things. A million dollars in that situation helps her to make that a must and not a should.

KING: Food's in front of you every day.

ROBBINS: Absolutely.

KING: I mean, it's something that's -- you can't miss it.

ROBBINS: Right.

KING: So that would seem awfully hard.

ROBBINS: But what you learn is to train yourself to have a different pattern. Because when you look at that food, some people look at that food, and they make a question in their mind, they say is this going to stuff me? Is this going to fill me? Is this going to fuel me? And if you start focusing on a different need, like the need for energy as opposed to the need for trying to feel comfortable right now, then all of a sudden, that becomes a pattern, just like any other pattern.

KING: We'll talk with Tony Robbins about dealing with the New Year, resolutions, whether those things work, a new millennium, this whole concept. Is it jazzed up? Can you really use it?

We'll be right back. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Anthony Robbins.

OK, does it make a difference? Can you use a new year, a new millennium, year 2000 to make yourself...

ROBBINS: You can use anything. You can use a birthday with a zero on the end of it.

KING: I know. But isn't it fabricated?

ROBBINS: It's all fabricated. But there's nothing wrong with that, you know. You know, all it is, is finding what are the triggers that'll get you to finally decide. And for a lot of people, a new year, a new millennium, a birthday with a zero in it is a chance to re-evaluate their lives, for them, to reassess the gap between where they are right now and where they want to be.

And, Larry, every healthy person has that gap. I mean, everybody's got a higher level desire, a dream life that they have. And the ability to close that gap comes down to saying, where am I really, and not lying to yourself, because that gives you the hunger to change. And where am I committed to being, not interested in being. The problem with New Year's resolutions is most people make them because it's the new year. They're really statements of interests; they're not resolutions, where you've resolved there's nothing else but this. And getting yourself to where it's a must and not a should is a secret. Because if you look at people's lives, they're getting their musts, not their shoulds. They're making what they must make, not what they want to make. They have the level of intimacy they must have. Or if they don't have a relationship, they must never be in pain. Well, then they'll never be in a relationship. There's pain in relationships, along with love.

So changing your shoulds into musts is how you create a lasting...

KING: If you do it because it's 2000, fine, in other words, whatever your reasoning is?

ROBBINS: Well, if you look at it for that reason, if you just do it because it's 2000, it will be over in a few weeks, because that'll wear off.

KING: Why don't resolutions usually resolve?

ROBBINS: Because as I said, most of them are statements of interest, and also because most people do not get themselves in a state of mind when they resolve something that your brain gets it. It's kind of like, people set a goal, and it goes into their conscious mind, and they reject it, as the brain says, I've always failed in the past, it never lasts, and they rationalize. The next time their under stress, they go back to the old behavior.

But if you can instead change that pattern, the pattern of changes that looks like this, pain, enough of it you finally say all right, I am not going eat anything for the next 10 days, I am going to go on water fast, but about noon the first day, you start going juice is good for you, and about 2:00, you're going sandwiches are bad, and by midnight, it's French fries are wonderful, you know. So the ability to make it not just pain driven, but to find something that pulls you -- most people are using push, I have to do this -- when you can find something you want more than the hamburger, more than the smoking, then you have something you can create lasting change for.

KING: One of the definitions of insanity, the true definition is, repeating the same thing, expecting a different result.

ROBBINS: Right.

KING: But yet, under that definition, there's a lot of nutty people walking around, because we do that a lot, right? Yet that's a definition of...

ROBBINS: I know.

KING: ... repeating something again and again, expecting a different result. Why do we do that?

ROBBINS: Because we're creatures of patterns, and because our patterns give us our needs.

KING: Even if the results are bad from the pattern.

ROBBINS: But you know, one of the things we get, even though you say it's bad. Let's say a person sets a goal then they don't follow through and they feel bad about it, and they don't follow through, and they -- four or five times, they don't want to feel bad, and so they say, I'm a procrastinator. And what they get by that is certainty. Because, Larry, if you look at people's lives, the quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably live with. If you're not allowing yourself to be uncertain, you can't grow, you can't try to new things, you can't start a career, you can't go meet a new relationship, you can't offer yourself anything that's possible.

And a lot of times, people that achieve, in the beginning, they're risk takers. I see this in a lot of 50, 60-year-old men, for example, and women who've made it, but once they made it they hang on to this, and they lost their hunger, and so now, they don't take the same kinds of risks and so they don't have the same excitement in life. They don't find their passion. It's in the realm of the uncertainty that you find all the passion in life. That's where all the juice is.

And if you keep trying to do everything the same way to hang on to what you've got, you have no life.

KING: Are there -- do you believe some people enjoy misfortune?

ROBBINS: Yes, because when you feel bad, what you do is connect with yourself. I believe there are six human needs that all human beings have. I've been now, fortunately, with about three million people in seminars, and I've been with God knows how many people beyond that in many forums. And I don't care what country you go to, we have different beliefs, different values, same needs. We need certainty, so we work hard to get it. Some do it by controlling everybody. Some do it by operating from a frame of reference, saying you're wrong, and I'm right, I don't care what anybody says. We need uncertainty. We need to have surprise. We need to have variety. These two go in conflict. We need a feeling that our lives are significant and important.

We also need to feel unique. We also need to feel connected. We need to grow, and we need to contribute. And whatever people do, whether they take out a gun and shoot kids in Columbine or whether they visit with the president or whether they do a talk show, they're doing it for a reason, one or more of these reasons. They're getting something. They're getting a connection of love. They're getting a sense of significance. Their life has meaning. They're getting some sense of variety, of surprise in their life. They're getting a sense of certainty that, hey, they can make things happen. Maybe their growing, maybe their contributing. The more needs you meet, the more you do it. Smoking can meet those needs. Joining a gang could meet those needs. Going out and helping people in your community could meet those needs. It's all choices

KING: So those kids in Columbine were meeting a need?

ROBBINS: Yes, the need for significance. We live in a society where males are taught, if you're significant enough, then you'll get love, if you're significant enough, then you'll be certain. And they live in a world where toothpaste has a more significant branded identity than most of these kids, and you don't see women doing this; you see young boys doing this.

KING: Back with our remaining moments with Anthony Robbins. By the way, in about five weeks, he's going to be with us on an entire edition of LARRY KING WEEKEND with a major announcement. We'll let you know the date and everything in the weeks ahead.

We'll we right back with our remaining moments with Anthony Robbins.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We'll take a call for Tony Robbins.

Del Mar, California, hello.

CALLER: Yes, this is Monica Valentino. And I'm calling Tony Robbins because of a young man who is in the hospital in Las Vegas at this time. He was hit by a drunk driver. He was not drinking. He is a sophomore at UCSB, and he has worked in your seminars and thinks so highly of you that we have benefited from some of the tapes that he has purchased through your seminars. But he thinks you are just the best and you have had a tremendously positive impact, not only on him, but his family. His dad is a physician and they -- the parents are at his bedside and he is -- he's -not responding at this point, and I wondered, you know, you've been such an inspiration to this kid, and really through this kid, to a lot of other people, including adults.

KING: What's the question?

CALLER: Would it help if you spoke to him, or could you counsel us on how we could perhaps help him?

ROBBINS: Yes, I can't promise you anything. Obviously, this is a major medical situation.

But what I would say to you is this, one of the first interventions I did many years ago that gave me the ability to stimulate the nervous system was a young girl in Orange County, California that was in a coma and they were going to unplug her, and I was a very young man, pretty outrageous, and I said, listen, all of these nurses, who were really meaning well, are walking around this child, saying, when are they going to unplug her? And I believe that a person's subconscious mind certainly hears what's going on. And so I got a tape we made of all of their best friends talking to her about the things they love, and why she should stay and why want her here, and we put it on a continuous loop, and then we stimulated her in every way. Because if you think about it, in a coma, you're totally internal. So we stimulated her with tactile, smell, visual. And she came out of the coma, and I don't know that that was the source of it. One of my teachers in those days said if a miracle happens within five miles of you, take credit for it. But I don't think I can take credit for this.

KING: What should she do?

ROBBINS: All I can tell you, it makes common sense for you to go get a best friends' communication. I'm happy to add to it, and I'd be happy to make a phone call onto that tape for you. And talk to this young man and put in it, so he's getting a sensory input to stimulate him if there's any possibility for him to come back out. I can't promise you, but it's better than just sitting there.

KING: I'll tell you what I'll do, ma'am. I'm going to put you on hold. Can you leave your name and phone number with our producers?

CALLER: Oh, thank you.

ROBBINS: And I'll call you right after the show.

KING: All I do is hit the "hold" button, right, Mary?

ROBBINS: If you get disconnected, please call back.

KING: OK, yes, but I'm going to hit the hold button. She's on hold now. We'll get her name and number, and you'll be happy to contact her.

ROBBINS: Of course.

KING: You really think that that can come true?

ROBBINS: Well, I had a gentleman who had a heart attack at an event about eight years, an he fell and he was literally flatlined for about 20 minutes; it took that long to get an ambulance there. And they said, he's dead, and I said, keep stimulating him. I went with him in the ambulance, and one man was screaming at me, saying he died at your program, and you're horrible and your the Devil. I just stayed with him and kept stimulating him. It took 20 minutes to get to the hospital. He had been flatlining fir 40 minutes. I stayed there, and 20 minutes later, this man actually opened his eyes. The doctor, who did not come with me -- when I came back and told people in the seminar he had survived, thought I was lying. He went back the next day. Came back crying, saying he had trained, you know, emergency technicians and emergency doctors, 3,000 of them, saying it's physically impossible someone to flatline that long and live. And that's what he's always trained people after 15 minutes, you quit, or 10 minutes, you quit.

So but part of what we did is was we stimulated his nervous system continuously. I am not suggesting this is the answer or that this is some panacea. But I do believe in faith and I do believe in the triggers of the human nervous system.

KING: We've gotten her name and number, and Anthony will contact her. And I thank you very much for coming in tonight.

ROBBINS: Thank you.

KING: And again, he'll be with us in a couple of weeks. We'll let you know the date. With a major announcement coming in February from Anthony Robbins, and you'll hear about it on this program.

We thank Monica Lewinsky for being with us earlier.

We invite you to stay tuned for more of CNN's continuing millennium coverage. It's going to go right through -- it's 100 hours altogether. So they're going to right through to tomorrow morning. Thanks for joining us, and good night.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

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