Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky
Even after the Donald Trump presidency, impeachment is still on the brain, thanks in part to Impeachment: American Crime Story.
After The People v. O.J. Simpson and The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the FX anthology series returns to tackle the Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton sex scandal of 1998. Booksmart and Lady Bird standout Beanie Feldstein will play Lewinsky, who, in her early 20s as a White House intern, had a sexual relationship with then-President Clinton, spawning an investigation that led to his impeachment proceedings.
The real Lewinsky, who bore the brunt of jokes since the scandal broke, serves as an executive producer on Impeachment alongside Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and Brad Falchuk.
"People have been co-opting and telling my part in this story for decades," she told Vanity Fair. "In fact, it wasn't until the past few years that I've been able to fully reclaim my narrative; almost 20 years later. But I'm so grateful for the growth we've made as a society that allows people like me who have been historically silenced to finally reintroduce my voice to the conversation."
[This gallery was originally published Jan. 23, 2020, and most recently updated Sep. 2, 2021.]
Clive Owen as Bill Clinton
Playing the man who "did not have sexual relations with that woman" is Clive Owen, last seen on the big screen in Gemini Man. If he says that famous line, we all win Crime Story bingo.
Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton
The four-time Emmy winner, known for roles on The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie, will portray Hillary Clinton, the First Lady of the Clinton presidency and future secretary of state.
Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp
Impeachment will focus primarily on the perspectives of three different women. That includes Feldstein's Lewinsky and Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, Lewinsky's confidante and her co-worker in the Defense Department who secretly recorded their phone conversations. Paulson starred in the first season of Crime Story as O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark and won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for it. Will lightning strike again?
Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones
Annaleigh Ashford played the bff to Darren Criss' serial killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace. This time, she ascends to take the third part in the lead trio, Paula Jones, who sued Clinton for sexual harassment, a case that led to a broadening of the Clinton investigation into his financial dealings pre-presidency.
Billy Eichner as Matt Drudge
The Drudge Report, founded by reporter Matt Drudge, was the first to break word of the Clinton scandal. On Jan. 17, 1998, it reported Newsweek had been sitting on a story about the affair. Billy Eichner, who featured on American Horror Story: Apocalypse, another Murphy series, will play Drudge in Impeachment.
Cobie Smulders as Ann Coulter
You love to hate her. End of sentence.
Ann Coulter, the always-controversial alt-conservative-leaning political pundit, wrote about the Clinton-Lewinsky situation in her 1998 book High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton. Betty Gilpin, the two-time Emmy nominee from Netflix's GLOW, was originally set to play Coulter but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts related to the pandemic. Cobie Smulders of Avengers and How I Met Your Mother fame takes over the role.