Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky

Comedian, writer, and The Daily Show correspondent Josh Johnson joins Monica this week on Reclaiming for a thoughtful conversation about finding connection through humor, embracing what makes us different, and learning to live with the knowledge that nothing is guaranteed. Josh gets real about losing his father at 26 and how it rewired the way he shows up for people, why retiring his mom became his North Star goal, and how the exact traits that once got him labeled the weird kid are now his sharpest weapon on stage. He and Monica dip into grief, politics, comedy, and the wild idea that just saying the uncomfortable thing out loud might be the most powerful move you've got.
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Bestselling author and cultural critic Roxane Gay joins Monica this week on Reclaiming for a deep, candid conversation about the body, feminism, trauma, and the ways power protects itself — in publishing, politics, media, and the stories we tell about survivors. Roxane takes us inside the writing of Hunger, her landmark memoir about sexual violence, survival, and the body she built as a fortress, reflecting on what it means to live with trauma without pretending to be “cured” of it. She offers her sharp analysis of abuses of power — from the media’s handling of the Epstein files to the failures of political institutions to meet moments of moral urgency with courage. Together, Roxane and Monica explore the problem with pedestals, the liberation of learning to say no, and the grace required to embrace our own complicated humanity on our own terms. Plus, Roxane dishes on co-writing her first romance novel with actor Channing Tatum!
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Actress, author, and advocate Jamie Lynn Sigler joins Monica this week on Reclaiming for a deeply honest conversation about chronic illness, the burden of secrecy, and the freedom that comes from finally telling the truth. Jamie Lynn reflects on growing up in the public eye as Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos and being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at just 20 years old, as her career was taking off. For 15 years, she kept her MS private, afraid that revealing the truth about her body might cost her work, her identity, and the image of strength she felt compelled to maintain. She opens up about the shame of feeling as though her illness made her “a problem,” and the profound sense of safety she found in James Gandolfini, the one person on set she trusted with her diagnosis. Jamie Lynn also shares how becoming a mother changed everything, ultimately pushing her to stop hiding so her sons would never have to carry her secret for her. Together, she and Monica explore the difference between strength and silence, the healing power of vulnerability, and the philosophy behind Jamie Lynn’s new memoir, And So It Is: A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope. This is a conversation about reclaiming your body, your story, your voice, and the life waiting on the other side of shame.
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This week on Reclaiming, we're revisiting one of our favorite interview with Miley Cyrus—global icon, shape-shifting performer, and fearlessly candid storyteller. Miley opens up about her earliest days in the spotlight, the complicated legacy of Hannah Montana, and the personal cost of growing up famous. She shares why her latest music feels like medicine, how she’s learned to set boundaries with the public, and the lessons she’s still unlearning about shame, identity, and self-worth. With humor, honesty, and striking insight, Miley opens up about family estrangement and reconciliation, the armor of persona, and why she’s finally starting to feel free in her own skin.
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Emmy-winning actress, producer, author, and transgender rights trailblazer Laverne Cox joins Monica this week on Reclaiming for a live taping at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival in Seattle. With her new memoir, Transcendent, out in the world, Laverne opens up to Monica about what it means to finally tell her story in her own words—from childhood trauma and self-worth to fame, healing, and the complicated cost of visibility. She retraces her path from growing up in Mobile, Alabama, where homophobia taught her early lessons about shame, to finding freedom, community, and creative purpose in New York City. Laverne reflects on how, after nearly 20 years spent struggling as a working actress, Orange Is the New Black changed everything, making her the first openly transgender person nominated for an Emmy in an acting category. Together, she and Monica explore vulnerability, the difference between being seen and being safe, and how Laverne continues to reclaim dignity for trans people everywhere.
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