Marilyn Monroe Abortion: The Netflix film Blonde alternates between based-on-fact and fictional accounts of Marilyn Monroe’s pregnancies, leaving viewers to speculate about the film’s level of accuracy. Reviews for Blonde, which debuted on Netflix on September 28, 2022, have been highly divided. Some have praised it for its compelling, emotionally charged stories about Marilyn Monroe’s life and Ana de Armas’ stellar performance.
In contrast, others have blasted it for its dehumanizing and one-dimensional portrayal of the late Hollywood star. Blonde covers a lot of ground, from depicting Monroe’s difficult upbringing at the hands of her mother to revealing the scandalous details of her three-way romance with Charles Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward G. Robinson Jr. (Evan Williams).
The film’s second part, titled “Blonde,” dives even farther into these heartbreaking accounts of Marilyn Monroe’s life by depicting the alleged abortions and miscarriages she endured. Some of the plot points in Blonde shed meaningful, respectful light on Marilyn Monroe’s life and death, while others read as implausible creative liberties.
Who Is Marilyn Monroe?
In Los Angeles, California, on June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson gave birth to a baby girl she would later name Marilyn Monroe. Gladys Pearl Baker had two children with an abusive husband before she left him (he took the kids with him), and Marilyn didn’t learn she had a half-sister until she was 12 years old; her half-brother passed away in 1933.
Monroe’s birth certificate lists Martin Edward Mortensen as the father, but the couple divorced shortly after their 1924 wedding. As a result of her mother’s mental breakdown, Marilyn was taken in by the state and raised as a ward of the state as Gladys struggled with mental illness and money issues. Monroe then spent several years in foster care, when she was subjected to sexual abuse, became emotionally distant, and eventually developed a stammer.
Did Marilyn Monroe Have An Abortion?
There is no hard evidence to support the claim that Marilyn Monroe (played by Knives Out’s Ana de Armas) had a forced abortion in Blonde, although the film does depict this as a plausible possibility. No documented facts support or refute Blonde’s premise that Marilyn Monroe had an abortion.
Dr. Leon Krohn, Marilyn Monroe’s gynecologist, says in Donald Spoto’s book that “the stories of her repeated abortions are ludicrous,” suggesting that the account of her abortions in Blonde is, at the very least, heavily fictionalized.
However, reports from Vanity Fair imply that many Hollywood actresses were pressured to get abortions between the 1920s and the 1950s because studios worried the pregnancies would diminish their glamorous image. This doesn’t prove that Marilyn Monroe had an abortion, but it does illustrate that the era depicted in Blonde isn’t all made up.
Is Blonde’s Depiction Of Marilyn Monroe’s Miscarriages Accurate?
The portrayal of Marilyn Monroe’s miscarriages in Blonde is mainly accurate. However, the film’s suggested cause—a fall on the beach—was likely made up. The fact that Monroe miscarried all three pregnancies she had with Arthur Miller is a consistent theme in Blonde (via NPR). A normal pregnancy occurred in September 1956, and then an ectopic one occurred in 1957.
Throughout Marilyn’s life, she never stopped aiming to better herself and her career. She studied under many coaches and was always eager to develop her talent.
📸: #MiltonHGreene#MarilynMonroe #Icon #Career pic.twitter.com/qgfvV0NFnU
— Marilyn Monroe (@MarilynMonroe) October 2, 2022
The third miscarriage allegedly occurred soon after she filmed Some Like It Hot with Billy Wilder in 1958. In Spoto’s book, Dr. Krohn confirms this, writing, “there were two losses and an ectopic pregnancy necessitating emergency termination.”
According to Randy Taraborrelli’s The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Monroe’s mental health suffered after losing her child, which she blamed herself for causing. These testimonies show that the controversial NC-17 biopic Blonde makes some dramatic liberties but paints a clear image of important moments in Marilyn Monroe’s life and death. If you find this fascinating, please share it with your friends. Visit Newswatchlist.com for more celebrity news and updates.