Sumith Prasad
The iconic Marilyn Monroe’s life was the foundation of several controversies, rumors, and speculations. Before and after her death, she has been the subject of numerous scandalous rumors that shook the world. One of the astounding rumors concerns Monroe’s alleged affair with former President John F. Kennedy and the actress’ supposed pregnancy.
Netflix’s biographical film ‘Blonde’ addresses the same as Monroe becomes pregnant shortly after having an affair with “The President.” Monroe’s pregnancy and the subsequent abortion in the film must have made the viewers intrigued to unravel the truth about the same. Well, here’s what we know!
What’s the Truth Behind Marilyn Monroe Getting Pregnant with JFK’s Baby?
The rumor that Marilyn Monroe was pregnant with John F. Kennedy’s baby is decades old. In the 1969 book ‘Norma Jean: The Life of Marilyn Monroe,’ author Fred Lawrence Guiles claimed that Monroe had an abortion in July 1962, less than a month before her death on August 4, 1962. In the book, Guiles claimed that it would “be easy to assume” the aborted child was JFK’s. After the publication of the book, speculations have increased concerning the alleged pregnancy and abortion of JFK and Marilyn Monroe’s baby.
However, neither Guiles nor anyone for that matter had produced conclusive evidence to prove that Monroe was really pregnant with JFK’s baby. Even in ‘Norma Jean: The Life of Marilyn Monroe,’ author Guiles is making an “assumption” than offering evidence to prove that Monroe was pregnant with JFK’s baby and she had moved forward with an abortion. Guiles wrote in the book that the actress was seeing other men during the time and if the actress was really pregnant, which is also a rumor than truth, the father of her baby could be any one of them rather than necessarily JFK.
In addition, there were rumors that Monroe aborted the baby of JFK’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy. But like the previous one, there isn’t any conclusive evidence to prove that it really happened. To make things clear, Monroe allegedly had a brief affair or sexual encounter with JFK and his brother Robert. “[…] it was pretty clear that Marilyn had had sexual relations with both Bobby [Robert F. Kennedy] and Jack [John F. Kennedy],” Monroe’s biographer James Spada told People.
Monroe’s close friend and masseur, Ralph Roberts, reiterated the same to Donald Spoto, who wrote ‘Marilyn Monroe: The Biography.’ However, as far as Roberts was concerned, he stated that their affair was nothing but a brief sexual encounter that happened on March 24, 1962, while they were together at Bing Crosby’s house in Palm Springs. “Marilyn told me that this night in March was the only time of her ‘affair’ with JFK. […] A great many people thought, after that weekend, that there was more to it.” Roberts told Spoto, as per ‘Marilyn Monroe: The Biography.’
As per the book, Roberts further added, “But Marilyn gave me the impression that it was not a major event for either of them: it happened once, that weekend, and that was that,” If Monroe was really pregnant with JFK’s baby, someone like Roberts, who was close to Monroe, would have known about it and revealed the same. However, seemingly none of Monroe’s close acquaintances have come forward to reveal or prove that the actress was pregnant with the former President’s baby.
Furthermore, multiple agents who worked in the United States Secret Service during the presidential tenure of JFK had reportedly affirmed that nothing more than a sexual encounter ever happened between the then-president and Monroe. “What we knew was that JFK and Marilyn had sex at Bing Crosby’s, and that’s it. […] If there was more to it between them, they [Kennedy and Monroe] somehow managed to keep it from us—and I don’t think you can keep something like that from the Secret Service,” an anonymous agent who worked closely with JFK told biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli for the book ‘The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.’
If Monroe was really pregnant with JFK’s baby and he had used his authority to force her to have an abortion, as ‘Blonde’ implies, the truth would have come out one way or the other. Since neither Secret Service agents nor any medical professionals came forward to reveal that such a pregnancy and abortion really happened, it is safe to say that the whole affair can be just a myth. It has to be nearly impossible to conceal that one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood was pregnant with US President JFK’s baby.
The very absence of any conclusive proof concerning the same makes us believe that the rumors most likely don’t necessarily have any foundation of truth. As per reports, Monroe had apparently consulted in Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Los Angeles, in July 1962, around the time she allegedly had an abortion. However, she might have been at the hospital to receive treatment for her chronic endometriosis rather than for an abortion. The hospital visit might have been misreported and subsequently added to the “myth” of Monroe getting pregnant with JFK’s baby, without any foundation of substantial evidence.
Read More: Did Marilyn Monroe’s Mom Gladys Pearl Baker Really Try to Kill Her?
