Monica Lewinsky Celebrates 50th Birthday with Throwback Photos: ‘Can’t Believe This Little One Made It to the Best Decade’

Monica Lewinsky is celebrating half a century!

The activist and writer marked her 50th birthday on Sunday with an Instagram reel featuring throwback photos of herself.

Set to Holly Kluge’s “Happy Little Things” with “Happy 50th Birthday!” text and balloon stickers, the video shows Lewinsky in film as a baby and a young girl while the camera moves from one childhood snapshot to the next.

“HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY TO ME! I can’t believe this little one made it to the best past decade so far. So grateful for the love + encouragement I’ve received these last 10 years. helluva ride so far!” Lewinsky captioned the post.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvCow2zP6AK/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=0a0dd9d4-9a3c-4876-aa4b-3598be0d41e0

Several wished Lewinsky a happy birthday in the comments section, including Scottish actor Alan Cumming, who wrote, “Ahh happy everything dear Monickers!”

Lewinsky also shared birthday tributes from friends and family on her Instagram Stories, including reposting a carousel from her father, Bernie Lewinsky, holding a newborn Monica.

“First hours/days 50 years ago!! Happy Birthday Monica!! Love you, Dad!!” he wrote alongside several hashtags describing his daughter, such as #courageous, #intelligent #amazing and #beautiful.

“Thanks, dad! love you. ❤️” she replied on his post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvDSkGBP3AN/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=47641c2b-0363-49f3-855c-2c2bc26c69a0

Beanie Feldstein — who portrayed Lewinsky in Impeachment: American Crime Story — shared a behind-the-scenes selfie with the woman herself for her birthday post.

“Happy birthday to a woman I know firsthand is a true example of deep bravery and a huge heart,” the actress wrote.

The third installment of Ryan Murphy’s true crime series covered the affair between the former White House intern and former president Bill Clinton that ultimately led to the latter’s impeachment.

In January, Lewinsky reflected on the 25th anniversary of her affair with Clinton, 76, going public.

“One thing everyone has in common is that we have all made mistakes. It’s inevitable. Get comfortable with the Art of the Mistake,” Lewinsky wrote in a piece for Vanity Fair.

“You cannot run away from your narrative,” she added in another section.

Back in 2021, Lewinsky chatted with PEOPLE about her era-defining political scandal in the mid-’90s and how she hopes to continue a discussion about the dynamics between men with power and those without it.

“As we all came to see, it wasn’t just about losing a job but about the power to be believed, the power to be inoculated from the press, the power to have others smear someone’s reputation in all the ways that work, the power to understand consequences having held many important jobs, where this was my first out of college,” she said.