Monica Lewinsky Asks Beyoncé to Remove Her Name From 'Partition'

As you've probably heard by now, the Grammy winner's seventh studio album, RENAISSANCE, has been at the center of several headline-making controversies since its release this past Friday, including problems related to samples and songwriting credits. However, the most recent and visible criticism has stemmed from her song "HEATED," which includes a term that disability activists and organizations called an ableist slur for those with a form of cerebral palsy known as spastic diplegia.

In the wake of the backlash, representatives for Beyoncé issued a statement claiming the word was "not used intentionally in a harmful way," before adding that she would still re-release the track without the slur. And as a result, Lewinsky is now asking the star to do the same thing for an older song that references her affair with former President Bill Clinton.

On Monday, Lewinsky retweeted a Variety article about the change alongside an "uhmm, while we're at it… #Partition," or Beyoncé's 2013 song that references the incident with the line "he Monica Lewinsky'd all on my gown."

uhmm, while we’re at it… #Partition

Beyoncé to Remove Renaissance Lyric After Outrage: Ableist, Offensive - Variety https://t.co/DzN80FdzPB

— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) August 1, 2022

That said, some members of the BeyHive accused her of singling out the star given how Lewinsky's been name checked by numerous rappers and even refers to herself as a "rap song muse" on Twitter, which she explained was part of her "learning to laugh about things which hurt or humiliated me is how I survived."

Lewinsky then went on to point out that while this may have been the "1st time you + the other folks have heard it," this was far from the "1st time i’ve said anything,"

"usually i reference this poking fun at myself," she said, including a link to her TEDtalk about the impact of sexist slut shaming and cyberbullying.

"beyoncé’s use was most disappointing cuz i was a fan," Lewinsky continued, before adding in another tweet, "When articles about the 125+ other artists changing lyrics to a song cross my TL, I promise I'll do the same."

because learning to laugh about things which hurt or humiliated me is how i survived.

— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) August 3, 2022

hi ya. it’s actually not the 1st time i’ve said anything— maybe just 1st time you + the other folks have heard it. usually i reference this poking fun at myself (eg rap muse or see tedtalk below)… beyoncé’s use was most disappointing cuz i was a fan. https://t.co/7XyRM323PY

— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) August 2, 2022

when articles about the 125+ other artists changing lyrics to a song cross my TL, i promise i’ll do the same. ✌🏼

— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) August 2, 2022

Beyoncé has yet to respond to Lewinsky's request.

Photos via Getty / Pascal Le Segretain & Brad Barket