Ripley’s defends Kim Kardashian, says she didn’t damage Marilyn Monroe’s dress

The Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum is denying allegations that Kim Kardashian damaged Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday Mr President” dress when she wore it to the 2022 Met Gala.

Kardashian has been the subject of much criticism this week as people have been lambasting her on social media for adding “significant” damage to the borrowed gown.

But those claims appear to be entirely made up. According to a 2017 report written about the dress’s condition when it was first acquired by Ripley’s, Monroe’s dress was labeled as having “a number of the seams are pulled and worn.” The report also logged “puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,” among other instances of damage.

Amanda Joiner, Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, was continuously with the dress on the day of the Met Gala, and during its transport from Orlando, Florida, to New York City.

“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,” Joiner said in a statement.

Kardashian “did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala,” Ripley’s emphasised.

Ripley’s also revealed that Kardashian did not pay the museum to wear the dress, but instead made a donation to two Orlando-based charities on behalf of the company.

Kardashian turned heads at this year’s Met Gala when she arrived wearing the exact sheer gown worn by Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in 1962 when she serenaded President John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday. Kardashian later changed into a replica gown for the rest of the evening.

Controversy ensued weeks later when collector Scott Fortner shared photographs earlier this week, claiming Kardashian was responsible for damage to the back of the dress, including stretching the fabric and losing crystals.

On Wednesday, fashion watchdog Instagram account Diet Prada shared additional images, purportedly showing the torn fabric on the edge of the right strap of the dress.

The images sparked backlash against Kardashian, with many calling the museum “irresponsible” for loaning the dress out in the first place.

However, Fortner claims he did not intend for the online outrage to be directed at Kardashian, adding that the “disappointment that I’m experiencing is Ripley has made multiple statements that they were doing everything that they could to protect and preserve the gown”.

Fortner doubled down on his blame on Ripley’s in a series of posts published on Thursday, claiming that after he conducted additional research, he’s certain the gown is more “damaged” than it was before Kardashian wore it and “Ripley’s is to blame.”

“They made the decision, they are responsible,” he says.