Former President Bill Clinton wrote The New York Times crossword for Friday, May 12, along with Arkansas District Court Judge Victor Fleming.
Clinton, a well-known fan of crossword puzzles, is the first U.S. president to publish one.
He said in a 2006 documentary that "at some point in my life, we began to get the Sunday Times. When I was president, I worked no telling how many hundreds and hundreds of crossword puzzles. I find it very relaxing. For a moment you take your mind off whatever you're doing," according to the Times.
Judge Fleming, a friend of Clinton's since their daughters began swimming lessons together in 1984, created the grid with assistance from the former president.
Clinton himself came up with the clues. He called some of Fleming's suggestions to the clues, "too easy and boring. Might as well print the answers in the puzzle."
Crossword editor Will Shortz typically creates the Times puzzle, but for its 75th anniversary this year the paper invited a number of notable people to craft a "Celebrity Crossword," including actor Jesse Eisenberg, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and pianist Emanuel Ax.
The Times hasn't announced the names of upcoming contributors, but teased that "Upcoming collaborators include a pop singer with a No. 1 hit, a noted fashion designer, a standup comedian, a venerable TV journalist, a morning TV host, a six-time Emmy-winning actor, and a sitting U.S. senator, among others."
Shortz includes a question for the GOP, asking for any "high-ranking Republican officeholder" and crossword-fan interested in contributing to contact him.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.