Monica Lewinsky called for Beyoncé to change a line in her 2013 song “Partition,” after the singer’s team announced that she’d be removing a line from her most recent album for containing an ableist slur. Monica, 49, tweeted a Variety article about Beyoncé, 40, changing the line with her suggestion for an old track to also update, on Tuesday, August 2. “Uhmm, while we’re at it… #Partition,” she wrote.
The 2013 song from the surprise-released Beyoncé, contains an explicit allusion to Monica’s scandalous relationship with former President Bill Clinton, while he was in office. “He popped all my buttons, and he ripped my blouse/He Monica-Lewinksy’d all on my gown,” Bey sang on the track.
Monica’s demand for a lyric removal came shortly after it was reported that Bey would be taking out a lie from her song “Heated” from the new album Rennaisance. Activists had called out the singer for the line “Spazzin’ on that a–, spazz on that a–,” pointing out that the term is ableist. Writer Hannah Diviney penned a piece for The Guardian, criticizing the singer for using the term. ” Language you can be sure I will never ignore, no matter who it comes from or what the circumstances are,” she wrote in part in the piece published Monday, August 1.
The Grammy winner responded to the controversy via a statement from her team, saying the line would change. “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” Beyonce’s team told Variety.
Years after Monica’s controversial scandal, she’s been an activist, speaking out against the public shaming she received in wake of the affair with the former president, even releasing a documentary for HBOMax called 15 Minutes of Shame back in October 2021.
The Lemonade popstar isn’t the only singer who has changed lyrics for her album after backlash for using the term. Lizzo changed a line on her song “Grrls” from her new album Special after fans called her out for using the same word, back in June. “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” she said in an Instagram post. “I’m proud to say there’s a new version of ‘Grrls’ with a lyric change. This is a result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist, I’m dedicated to being a part of the change I’ve been wanting to see.”