There has always been speculation as to if and when Marilyn Monroe was pregnant, with various sources claiming the bombshell miscarried at least twice. But now it appears there is photographic evidence confirming the actress was, indeed, pregnant at least once in her life.
According to TMZ, an anonymous seller has come forward with a collection of rare photographs of the iconic blonde. The never-before-seen images are being sold by memorabilia company Moments in Time, with the seller asking a whopping $95,000 for the collector’s pieces.
In the photos, which are said to be taken in 1960, Marilyn is seen wearing a tight pencil skirt and button-down blouse. The fitted skirt seems to reveal a small yet noticeable baby bump, although the star would have only been a few months along in the shot. At the same time, it’s hard to tell if the so-called baby bump isn’t just the result of a bad angle or bloating. Even more, the photos could have been altered to make Monroe’s stomach seem more prominent.
It’s been reported that Monroe had several miscarriages during her short life. In 1956, while working on The Prince and the Showgirl, biographer Daniel Spoto has claimed the actress became pregnant and miscarried during filming. Spoto says this may explain why that star’s behaviour became infamously uncooperative while working on the project. Spoto has also said the actress became pregnant in mid-1957 following during a hiatus from work. However, the biographer has said the pregnancy was ectopic and had to be terminated. Monroe was married to Arthur Miller at the time, whom she later divorced in 1961.
Other sources have said Monroe became pregnant for a third time in 1960. TMZ added the rare photos were taken by her close friend, Frieda Hull, in New York. Hull has previously claimed the actress was once pregnant with actor Yves Montand’s child, though she says she ultimately lost the baby.
Hulls’ previous claims seem to bring validity to these photographs. Monroe and Montand worked together on one of her last movies, 1960’s Let’s Make Love, and the two were known to have had a high-profile affair. So, it’s not far-fetched to assume she could have been expecting his baby in these photographs, which would’ve been taken soon before her untimely death in 1962. The publication notes that Monroe was still married to Miller at the time of these photos, so they also seem to be proof that she had an affair during their marriage.
These photos- which are currently being called “The Pregnant Slides”- were sold in Monroe’s estate following her death. They were originally bought by her neighbour, Tony Michaels, for $2,240, who also says that Hull told him Monroe had been pregnant. Unfortunately, since Hull passed away in 2014, fans may never be able to verify the speculation surrounding Monroe’s pregnancies.