By YEET Magazine Staff, YEET Magazine

Published October 3, 2025

Tags :

Marilyn Monroe hygiene rumors, Marilyn Monroe messy habits, Marilyn Monroe real life, JFK Marilyn Monroe affair facts, Marilyn Monroe behind the scenes stories, old Hollywood myths explained, Marilyn Monroe personal life truth, Marilyn Monroe untidy claims real or fake

Did Marilyn Monroe really have poor hygiene or is it another Hollywood myth? YEET Magazine investigates the claims, the rumors, and the real evidence behind one of the internet’s strangest recurring questions.

In Clark Gable: Tormented Star, David Bret writes about Marilyn Monroe’s non-hygienic personal habits that not many people knew about. According to Bret, she was “flatulent, dirty, and ate in bed…Like Jean Harlow, she bleached all her pubic hair and never wore panties.

Allegedly, Monroe would frequently go about her house in soiled clothes, and had huge piles of dirty dishes in her bedroom.

Her personal hygiene was allegedly so bad that it drove several of her maids to quit working for her.

In addition, she suffered from what today would be described as irritable bowel syndrome which may explain the flatulence . She rarely bathed, slept in the nude, and ate a lot in bed — shoving what was left on her plate under the sheets before going to sleep.

Baseball legend and second husband Joe DiMaggio complained that Marilyn stunk to high heavens because she would avoid bathing for days on end.

Movie star Clark Gable was revolted by the way she would lie in bed naked, gobble food and scrape the messy leftovers under her sheets for the maids to clean in the morning!

British actor Peter Lawford refused to sleep with Marilyn Monroe, because he was repulsed by her personal hygiene

So there you have it. Many illusions have been destroyed! Sorry to burst your bubbles.

Was Marilyn Monroe Really Untidy and Unhygienic? Why This Hollywood Rumor Won’t Die

Few celebrities attract more myths than Marilyn Monroe. From her love life with JFK and RFK to her final days, Monroe’s image has been shaped as much by gossip as fact.
One rumor that resurfaces constantly online is the claim that she was “very unhygienic,” “messy,” or “unclean.”

But is any of this actually supported by real evidence?

YEET Magazine examined biographies, firsthand accounts, studio records, and expert commentary to understand where this rumor came from—and why it still circulates today.

What the Rumor Says

Online forums and TikTok threads often repeat the claim that:

• Marilyn Monroe was “very messy”
• She had “poor personal hygiene”
• She left “clothes and dishes everywhere”
• JFK and RFK “didn’t care because they slept with her anyway”

But as with many Hollywood rumors, repetition has replaced fact.

What the Evidence Actually Shows

There is no verified evidence that Marilyn Monroe had clinically poor hygiene or was unusually unclean.

What is documented:

Multiple biographers—including Donald Spoto (Marilyn Monroe: The Biography) and Lois Banner (Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox)—note that:

• Monroe struggled with depression, insomnia, and medication overuse.
• During depressive episodes, she could become disorganized or disheveled, especially at home.
• Friends said she was sometimes “late,” “forgetful,” or “scattered.”

These traits are common among people dealing with emotional distress—not signs of a life defined by unhygienic behavior.

What’s not documented:

No credible biography, studio memo, or firsthand account describes Monroe as “filthy,” “unsanitary,” or “unhygienic.”

Where the Rumor Likely Started

Hollywood insiders say Monroe had two contrasting images:

• On set: glamorous, styled, camera-ready
• At home: casual, private, unguarded

Several friends described her home as “messy in a normal way”—clothes on chairs, makeup on counters, books in piles.
But messy ≠ unhygienic.

YEET contacted film historian Michelle Vogel, who wrote Marilyn Monroe: Her Films, Her Life. She told us:

“People confuse normal clutter or emotional struggles with poor hygiene. There is no evidence she was unhygienic. But myths stick because they make celebrities feel more ‘accessible’ or scandalous.”

What About JFK and RFK?

Claims that “JFK and RFK didn’t care because they slept with her anyway” are also not verified.

Most historians agree:

• JFK and Monroe knew each other socially
• A short encounter may have happened, but is not proven
• The RFK rumor is even weaker and historically doubtful

So using those alleged affairs as proof of anything—let alone her hygiene—is unreliable.

Why People Believe the Rumor

Experts say hygiene rumors serve two functions in pop culture:

1. To humanize icons
   The bigger the celebrity, the more people dig for flaws.
2. To sensationalize history
   A “messy Marilyn” story spreads faster than a nuanced truth.

Internet virality rewards scandal, not accuracy.

The Reality: Marilyn Monroe Was Human

She struggled. She had mental health challenges. She lived alone.
She was not a polished studio product 24/7.

But nothing in the documented historical record supports the claim that she was “unhygienic.”

Human? Yes.
Messy sometimes? Yes.
Dirty or unclean? No proven evidence.

Sources (linked):

• Donald Spoto – Marilyn Monroe: The Biography
• Lois Banner – Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox
• Michelle Vogel – Marilyn Monroe: Her Films, Her Life
• Library of Congress – Hollywood Golden Age Archives
• UCLA Film & Television Archive – Studio production notes
• Associated Press – Marilyn Monroe archives
• Smithsonian Magazine – Old Hollywood myth analysis

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