(CNN) Before sitting down with Monica Lewinsky on stage at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit on Tuesday, Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby, whose affecting Netflix comedy special "Nanette" was the talk of the summer, described their meeting as such: "a former comedian in conversation with a former punchline."

Much like Gadsby's standup show, their exchange was better experienced than described.

It was actually not their first time coming face-to-face.

Lewinsky told the crowd that she had gone to see Gadsby's show over the summer and reacted viscerally.

"I have never gone to a standup comedy show and bawled my eyes out as much as I did," she told Gadsby. "And given my history, that was pretty surprising."

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