Linda Tripp’s daughter Allison is speaking out about Sarah Paulson’s portrayal of her mom in “Impeachment: American Crime Story”.
In short, Linda was the whistleblower responsible for exposing then-President Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, which in turn led to his 1998 impeachment. The new “ACS” episodes follow the story.
Despite Linda facing criticism over her appearance over the years, Allison insisted she was happy with how her mom was portrayed after watching the first episode.
She told Vanity Fair: “This episode portrayed her — it’s sad to say — but in a more flattering way than how she was portrayed when she was alive,” TooFab reported.
Allison said of her mother undergoing plastic surgery after having to deal with the unflattering impressions and backlash over how she looked, “If you had to endure that and feel that and hear that. I think she felt compelled to soften her appearance.”
She stated that the media seemed to always find the most unflattering pictures of Linda they could, telling the magazine: “At the time, the messaging was, ‘Get over it, [it’s] not a big deal.’ But it is a big deal. That criticism would not be allowed today.”
Despite some criticizing Linda for recording the conversations, Allison said the show seemed to do a good job of explaining why she did it.
“She lived a life that was very much about following the rules,” Allison shared. “Especially being a military wife and a government employee for so long. She had the utmost integrity in her role representing her country. And I do feel that, from what I’ve seen from the show so far, Sarah Paulson was getting that across even just from those limited scenes.”
She added of Clinton’s behaviour, “My mom was always independent [politically] but I do believe that made her feel very wronged as a citizen. Just: ‘This is our country. This is our White House.’ And maybe wishing that there was more respect from the president.”
Allison insisted her mother didn’t record the tapes to get some extra cash, but admitted: “All I can say is that she was offered those things to quiet her.”
She said of the show, “So far, again only in episode one, they’ve shown her as a hardworking, loyal, gritty woman who has a lot of integrity.
“To be perfectly honest, I think she would be blown away by that episode and how they portrayed her… she always said that the truth eventually does come out. My mom didn’t get to see this story finally coming out in a more realistic lens and not a vilifying lens.
“At least my children will get to see it because they too have seen and heard about a lot of that hurt through the years,” Allison continued. “It gave me a sense of pride to watch her being portrayed this way. I know it will give my children that as well.”
Following Allison’s comments, Paulson joined Seth Meyers on “Late Night” Monday evening and admitted she was “moved” by what Allison had to say.
“I was very moved by what I read that her daughter said,” Paulson said. “And for me, as far as critics go, it’s the only thing that mattered to me that she in fact – at least as far as seeing the first episode.”
She added, “She made it very clear, ‘I’ve only seen one and I may not hold on to this though by the end of it,’ which is totally fair. She sort of said she wished her mother could have seen it and that to me is… single tear.”
Linda passed away at age 70 on April 8, 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
