Rewind: Marilyn Monroe

Alleged Affair With President Kennedy Beginning In 1950s

The controversial affair between Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy is thought by some to have started after JFK became president in 1960, but Maureen Callahan’s research places its beginnings as early as 1954, when Kennedy was still a senator. Their relationship gained national attention during Kennedy’s presidency, culminating in moments that would seal their status as a legendary pairing.

Jfk and Marilyn's Relationship Began In 1954, Continued In His Presidency

Based on Maureen Callahan’s account, Monroe and Kennedy’s relationship stretched from the mid-1950s into his years in the White House. Throughout JFK’s presidency, Monroe is alleged to have had a nearly decade-long affair with him.

Marilyn's Sultry "Happy Birthday" to Jfk in 1962 Marked a Turning Point; She Saw It as Him Going Public With Their Relationship

On May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe appeared at Madison Square Garden wearing a nearly transparent gown and sang “Happy Birthday” to President Kennedy at his televised birthday celebration and campaign fundraiser. Watching Monroe sing in her sultry whisper, journalist Dorothy Kilgallen described it as “making love to the president in front of 40 million Americans.” According to Callahan, Monroe viewed this performance as a turning point and a public acknowledgment of their relationship, believing JFK’s invitation was his way of going public.

Jackie Kennedy Threatened Divorce Over Marilyn, Forcing Jfk to End the Relationship Secretly

Jackie Kennedy, although used to her husband’s affairs, would tolerate them only if he did not make them public. Monroe’s scandalous birthday serenade crossed this line for Jackie, leading her to threaten divorce. Pressured by Jackie, JFK promises to end the relationship with Monroe, but he does not communicate this decision directly to Marilyn.

Jfk's Decision For Bobby to End Relationship, Leaving Marilyn Devastated

Jfk Tasks Bobby Kennedy With Ending Marilyn's Relationship With the President, Causing Her Distress

Instead of ending the affair himself, JFK delegates the break-up to his brother, Attorney General Robert “Bobby” Kennedy. In a meeting reportedly orchestrated for this purpose, Bobby delivers the news to Marilyn that her affair with JFK must end, a move that leaves Marilyn heartbroken and confused.

Marilyn's Calls to Jfk on a White House Line Are Unanswered, Leaving Her Confused and Heartbroken

After this decision, Monroe, who had enjoyed privileged direct access to JFK via a private White House line, finds her calls going unanswered. She continues to call and leaves messages, but JFK rarely, if ever, responds—leaving Monroe devastated, unable to understand or accept the sudden silence.

Marilyn Assures Dr. Greenson She'll Never Embarrass Jfk, Valuing Their Memories

Monroe, wrestling with the heartbreak, assures her psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, that she would never embarrass JFK, saying, “As long as I have memory, I have John Fitzgerald Kennedy.” Despite her distress, she is determined to protect his reputation.

Bobby Kennedy's Affair With Marilyn Gains More Attention and Support

Bobby Values His Relationship With Marilyn More Than Jfk, Engaging In Long Phone Talks and Professing Love, Leading Marilyn to Feel Truly Understood and Valued

Following the breakup with JFK, Bobby Kennedy’s relationship with Marilyn becomes more intense and serious. Unlike JFK, Bobby listens to Marilyn and is kinder, giving her emotional support and spending hours talking with her on the phone. Marilyn, often dismissed as only a “dumb blonde” or feeling intellectually isolated from ex-husband Arthur Miller’s friends, feels genuinely understood and valued by Bobby.

Bobby Falsely Promises Divorce and Marriage To Marilyn

FBI documents detail that Bobby repeatedly promised Marilyn he would divorce his wife and marry her—a pledge he never fulfills.

Bobby and Marilyn Secretly Meet In Disguise, Holding Hands On Beaches; Bobby Listens To Her Thoughts, Unlike Her Ex-husband Arthur Miller, Who Was Embarrassed by Her Among His Intell ...

Multiple alternative theories have emerged over the decades regarding Marilyn Monroe's death on August 4, 1962, challenging the official ruling of suicide by barbiturate overdose. These theories involve figures such as Bobby Kennedy, the CIA, the Mafia, and even suggest that Monroe was never killed at all.

Theory: Bobby Kennedy Caused Marilyn's August 4, 1962 Death

One widely discussed theory centers around then-Attorney General Bobby Kennedy. According to Mike Rothmiller’s interviews with Peter Lawford, Lawford claims he brought Bobby to Marilyn Monroe's house on August 4, 1962, after Bobby had stopped returning Marilyn's calls. The sight of Bobby, who Marilyn believed had taken advantage of her, reportedly sent her into a rage. Bobby and Marilyn engaged in a violent confrontation, during which Bobby shoved her to the floor and frantically searched her house for her diary, which he believed contained details of her affairs and government secrets.

According to Lawford, supported by alleged mob wiretaps recorded by Fred Otaches, Bobby then ordered Marilyn to take a pill, possibly to calm her. Fred's account matches Lawford's: Peter found Bobby in Marilyn's kitchen, adding something to a glass of water and stirring it. Bobby then compelled Marilyn to drink the concoction, with Peter encouraging her, thinking it was merely a sedative. After consuming the drink, Marilyn became unconscious on the sofa, murmured briefly, and then stopped breathing. Peter was terrified and, as Bobby hurriedly left, the two exited the house.

Upon leaving, Lawford and Bobby encountered two plain-clothed LAPD officers outside—one of whom acted as Bobby's security detail in Los Angeles. Bobby ordered Peter to drive him to the airport to establish an alibi, while the officers entered Marilyn's home. According to this theory, these officers staged Marilyn's body by moving it from the sofa to her bed and planting empty pill bottles to suggest suicide by barbiturate overdose. The presence of dual lividity marks on Marilyn’s body reportedly supports the suspicion that she was moved after death. This narrative points to an orchestrated cover-up implicating both Bobby Kennedy and local authorities.

Dr. Ralph Greenson, Marilyn's psychiatrist, is also invoked in this theory. Greenson’s advice to Marilyn to "talk to Bobby Kennedy" is seen as indicating Bobby's central role in the tumult surrounding her final days.

Theory: CIA Orchestrated Marilyn's Death to Block Her UFO Revelations

A more sensational theory focuses on Marilyn's alleged knowledge of government secrets, specifically regarding UFOs. According to investigator Nick Redfern, both JFK and Bobby Kennedy disclosed details about crashed UFOs and a secret Nevada airbase, possibly Area 51, to seduce Marilyn. Marilyn is said to have used this classified information as leverage, threatening to hold a press conference to reveal what she knew about UFO sightings and CIA cover-ups.

Redfern points to a controversial and allegedly declassified CIA document that reportedly details Monroe’s intention to go public with information about UFOs, and even mentions Marilyn’s threat to reveal the Kennedy brothers’ involvement. Many believe this document, supposedly signed by CIA chief James Angleton, is a forgery. However, another declassified document outlines a CIA method of slow assassination: agents would infiltrate a target’s life, possibly acting as friends or doctors, to facilitate drug addiction and then deliver a fatal dose, appearing as an accidental overdose. Redfern suggests this is exactly how the CIA orchestrated Monroe's death, with her increasing barbiturate use exploited and ultimately fatal.

On the night of her death, Marilyn reportedly made a cryptic call to screenwriter Jose Bolaños, claiming she knew something that would shock the world. Though initially interpreted as a reference to her affairs with the Kennedys, some now suggest she was alluding to her potentially explosive UFO information.

Theory: Mafia and CIA Coordinated Marilyn's Murder as Revenge Against Bobby Kennedy

Another theory places Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana at the center, with the CIA allegedly enlisting his help. Giancana had previous dealings with the Kennedy family, allegedly aiding JFK's presidential election through voter manipulation, and with the CIA, notably in a failed plot to assassinate Fidel Castro during the Cold War.

Giancana reportedly harbored deep resentment toward Bobby Kennedy, whose tenure as Attorney General saw mob convictions skyrocket by 800%. Knowing of Bobby’s connection with Monroe, Gia ...

Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jean Mortensen in June 1926, endures a deeply troubled personal history marked by childhood abandonment, instability, and lifelong psychological vulnerability. Her mother suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and is institutionalized when Marilyn is just two weeks old, forcing her into California's foster care system. This early emotional instability haunts Marilyn throughout her life, informing her sense of self and future relationships.

Foster Care: Emotional Instability From Childhood Abandonment

Marilyn's formative years are spent bouncing between foster homes and orphanages, yearning for the consistency and love absent from her childhood. She internalizes her identity as a waif—an abandoned child without a true home or consistent care—and carries this feeling of orphanhood into adulthood, regardless of the fame, wealth, and public adoration that later define her life. Her longing for stability compels her, at sixteen, to marry a twenty-year-old neighbor from her last foster family. The arrangement offers an escape from the emotional chaos of foster care, allowing her to find steadiness and begin modeling, but ultimately provides neither joy nor sorrow—only an absence of instability. The marriage lasts four years before ending in divorce, leaving Marilyn unchanged and still unfulfilled.

Pattern of Three Failed Marriages to High-Status Men Who Rejected Her

Marilyn's adult life is marked by a pattern of high-profile yet ultimately disappointing marriages. Her second marriage to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio is fraught with jealousy and abuse. During the filming of the iconic subway grate scene in "The Seven Year Itch," DiMaggio witnesses the attention Marilyn attracts and reacts with anger. He blames Marilyn for the onlookers' catcalling, despite the situation being out of her control, and after the shoot, he physically abuses her in their hotel room. She files for divorce, citing mental cruelty.

In 1956, Marilyn marries playwright Arthur Miller, famous for "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible." Initially, Miller seems infatuated, leaving his family for Marilyn. However, she soon discovers he is embarrassed by her in intellectual circles, referring to her in his journal as a "pitiable, dependent, unpredictable waif." The revelation wounds her, echoing her own insecurities. They divorce after five years.

Her repeated rejection by powerful men—athletes, artists, presidents—further exacerbates her sense of vulnerability. After her marriage to Miller fails and with drug addiction worsening her depression, she seeks connection with President John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy ends their relationship in July 1962, Marilyn is left in crisis, even more isolated and emotionally exposed just days before her death.

Severe Mental Health Challenges: Insomnia, Bipolar, Possible Psychosis Needing Intensive Care

Marilyn's psychological troubles intensify over time. She battles chronic insomnia, severe mood swings indicative of bipolar disorder, and, according to some accounts, auditory hallucinations. Dr. Ralph Greenson, her psychiatrist, treats her multiple days a week and eventually diagnoses her with borderline paranoid schizophrenia, echoing her mother's illness and feeding Marilyn's deepest fears of hereditary madness. Her ongoing need for psychiatric care underscores the severity of her mental health challenges.

Marilyn's struggle with mental he ...

The circumstances of Marilyn Monroe’s death on August 4th, 1962, remain the subject of intense scrutiny and skepticism. Medical, forensic, and testimonial inconsistencies challenge the official story of suicide and suggest possible interference or foul play.

August 4th, 1962: Suspicious Timeline With Unexplained Gaps

At 7 p.m., Marilyn Monroe calls Joe DiMaggio Jr., her former stepson, and reportedly sounds happy—possibly because Joe is telling her about breaking up with a girlfriend Marilyn disliked. Within just thirty minutes, Marilyn’s demeanor shifts dramatically. Around 8 p.m., she phones Peter Lawford, her friend and also JFK’s brother-in-law. Lawford later describes Marilyn as depressed, slurring her words, and refusing a dinner invitation with Lawford and his wife, Pat Kennedy. Marilyn ends the call saying, “Say goodbye to Pat, say goodbye to Jack [JFK], and say goodbye to yourself because you’re a nice guy,” after which the line goes dead. When Lawford tries to call back, there is no answer.

Conspiracy theories swirl about the events of that evening, particularly about whether Dr. Ralph Greenson, Marilyn’s psychiatrist, visited Marilyn that night and whether Bobby Kennedy or any other visitors stopped by. Further confusion arises from Eunice Murray, Marilyn’s housekeeper, who changes her account over time about when she discovered Marilyn’s locked bedroom door—originally saying midnight, but later stating 3:30 a.m.—which raises serious doubts about evidence reliability and the true timeline of events.

Dual Lividity Forensic Evidence Suggests Body Moved After Death

A key forensic inconsistency centers on lividity—the pooling of blood in the body after death. Lividity typically forms on the lowest part of the body, depending on its position after death. According to the official version, Marilyn is found face-down in her bed, which would cause purplish splotches on her front. However, her autopsy reveals “dual lividity” on both her back and front. Lividity marks on the back would have only formed if she spent significant time lying supine, such as on a sofa, before being moved to her bed. In forensic investigations, dual lividity is often interpreted as clear evidence the body was moved after death, which is frequently a sign of murder and subsequent staging. Proponents of the cover-up theory argue that if Bobby Kennedy received police assistance, this vital evidence could have been deliberately overlooked, helping authorities avoid reclassifying Monroe’s death.

Autopsy Conclusions Based On Appearance Not Toxicology

The official cause of death is listed as “probable suicide.” The police acknowledge the overdose could have been accidental, but the coroner takes a more definitive stance, influenced not only by Marilyn’s recorded history of declining mental health but also by the superficial observation of her appearance. Evidence cited in her obituary, for instance, states that Marilyn was in “need of a manicure and pedicure, ...