Ryan Murphy Scraps Monica Lewinsky Season of American Crime Story

Ryan Murphy and FX are not moving forward with their planned Monica Lewinsky-centric season of American Crime Story, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The season was announced last year and was going to be based on the book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President by Jeffrey Toobin, who also wrote the book that was the basis for the anthology series' acclaimed first season about O.J. Simpson. But now, Murphy and his fellow producers reportedly changed their minds about pursuing the season, which would have chronicled the then-22-year-old White House intern's affair with the sitting president, Bill Clinton.

It seems as though Murphy's change of heart came about out of respect of Lewinsky, whom he told of his decision before he went to the press.

"I told her, 'Nobody should tell your story but you, and it's kind of gross if they do,'" Murphy says he told Lewisnksy when he ran into her at a Hollywood party. " 'If you want to produce it with me, I would love that; but you should be the producer and you should make all the goddamn money.'"

The next season of American Crime Story, which will be about Hurricane Katrina and star frequent Murphy collaborator Sarah Paulson, is in progress after being delayed for retooling.