Kim Kardashian Breaks Silence On Marilyn Monroe Damaged Dress Claims

Kim Kardashian is addressing the claims that Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress, which she wore for the 2022 Met Gala, was damaged.

Weeks ago, the reality star received the heat after news surfaced that irreparable damage was caused to the historical dress, but she is now putting to rest the rumors.

As The Blast reported, news broke on social media that the legendary "Happy Birthday" dress had some major damage after Kim wore it to the prestigious fashion event.

As you might know, the "KUWTK" alum was lent the sentimental dress by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum to embody the 2022 Met Gala theme of "In America: An Anthology on Fashion."

The dress was auctioned at almost $5 million to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum and Kim had to be subjected to strict restrictions, including undergoing an intense weight loss regimen, before being allowed to wear the outfit.

However, it seems that wasn't enough to protect the fragile fabric of the 60-year-old dress. In a social media post, The Marilyn Monroe Collection shared a side-by-side photo of the iconic outfits before and after it was worn by Kim.

The after picture showed that some crystals at the butt area were noticeably missing with the zip area looking expanded and having loose threads. The post was angrily captioned,

"Just in case you missed it… Missing crystals, and some left hanging by a thread. The dress, on display at Ripley’s Hollywood location on June 12, 2022. Shared with me by @1morrisette. @ripleysbelieveitornot , Was it worth it?"

At the time, neither Kim nor Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum responded to the claims, but fans were more than livid at the news.

One internet user wrote, "Even angrier now … how far one individual will go to obtain notoriety by wearing a historically important dress …such a lack of respect … am I surprised ? Not really !!!"

Another comment read, “So sad that this has happened. I can’t believe anyone was allowed to wear this very special historical piece 🥲”

During a sit-down with Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie of "Today Show," Kim addressed the rumors, saying that the news is absolutely false.

"No, and Ripley’s, we worked together so well. There was [sic] handlers in gloves that put it on me," she revealed.

Kim explained that there was an elaborate process to wearing the dress at the Met. Hence it was impossible that the dress was damaged.

"It was such a process," she said. "I showed up to the red carpet in a robe and slippers, and I put the dress on the bottom of the carpet, went up the stairs. I probably had it on for three minutes, four minutes, and then I changed right at the top of the stairs."

"The Kardashians" star opened up about the honor she felt wearing Monroe's dress and exposing it to the younger generations who might not know who the iconic sex symbol is.

In her words, "I respect her. I understand how much this dress means to American history, and with the theme being American, I thought, ‘What is more American than Marilyn Monroe singing 'Happy Birthday' to the president of the United States?'"

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum also refuted the claims of a damaged dress. In a statement on their website, the museum wrote, "Kim Kardashian’s walk up the Metropolitan Museum’s stairs at this year’s Met Gala caused quite the stir, but one thing Ripley’s Believe It or Not! can say with confidence is that it did not cause damage to Marilyn Monroe’s famed ‘Happy Birthday’ dress from 1962."

The announcement continued with the VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joyner, saying, "From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in."

Joyner claimed that she accompanied the gown from the museum to the Kardashian house to the Met Gala and then back to its storage room.