Co-produced by Monica Lewinsky, Impeachment: American Crime Story is retelling the scandal that rocked Bill Clinton's presidency in the 1990s.
Lewinsky, back then a White House intern, had an affair with Clinton between 1995 and 1997 and was the target of some vile attacks in certain media outlets as well as in the public eye.
Fans of the show created by Ryan Murphy are hoping the series will do right by Lewinsky, played by Booksmart star Beanie Feldstein. Particularly, some are upset about the role of whistleblower Linda Tripp, portrayed by Sarah Paulson in the show.
'Impeachment: American Crime Story' Exposes The Hard Truth About Monica Lewinsky's Betrayal
Initially Lewinsky's confidante, Tripp was the one exposing the affair after taping a private conversation where Lewinsky detailed the relationship with Clinton.
Fans are saying that Lewinsky was taken advantage of not just by Tripp but by the whole system, becoming a scapegoat the scandal could be blamed on.
In a recent episode, Lewinsky opens up to Tripp about being a survivor of sexual assault. This makes Tripp's betrayal even more hurtful, some viewers say.
"Monica describing how she was raped at camp and later groomed by a teacher is hurtful. It makes Linda taking advantage of her even worse. She needed therapy and proper support through that," one tweets about the show reads.
"Monica Lewinsky was a victim of predatory behavior from adult men long before Bill Clinton -- which further shows how this is a societal issue," was another comment.
Viewers Are Conflicted About Lewinsky And Tripp's Friendship
"Ok now both Monica and Linda are grown women BUT Linda (with age & bitterness) enjoyed the fact she knew about this affair and how much power that gave her. Whew white women doing this to each other.. I mean the way Linda talked to that other girl," another fan wrote.
"It’s getting messy. This Monica/ Linda friendship is stressing me out," was another tweet.
"no monica was actually so nice to linda and that’s how she replayed her," another person noted.
The series has received generally favorable reviews, with praise for Feldstein in the role of Lewinsky and for Clive Owen in that of Bill Clinton.
Impeachment also stars Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton, Cobie Smulders as Ann Coulter, Margo Martindale as Lucianne Goldber and Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones.
Impeachment: American Crime Story airs Tuesdays on FX
