A Marilyn Monroe expert has said that he believes the lock of hair gifted to Kim Kardashian is "fake".
Last week, the 41-year-old reality star not only had the opportunity to wear two Marilyn Monroe dresses for the 2022 Met Gala, but she was also gifted a lock of Marilyn's hair that has been preserved in a jar.
The hair and dresses were given to Kardashian by the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! team, with the museum sharing the moment Kim was given the unique gift on its social media channels.
The SKIMS founder was thrilled to receive the hair clipping, and told Ripley's at the time: “This is so special to me. ... this is sleeping with me every night.”
Check out the moment in the video below:
Ripley’s stated in a post published on their website that the Hollywood icon's lock of hair was cut off by her hairstylist Robert Champion shortly before her performance at Madison Square Garden for President Kennedy’s birthday.
However, according to a social media post by Marilyn Monroe historian and collector Scott Fortner, the lock of hair may not be as authentic as the glamourous Jean Louis gown Kim was loaned.
Fortner runs the site The Marilyn Monroe Collection, and attempted to debunk Ripley's statement on Instagram, explaining that it was Kenneth Battelle who cut and styled the Hollywood icon’s hair for the event.
Writing in an Instagram caption, Fortner said: "News Alert: Marilyn Monroe Hair Gifted to Kardashian by Ripley’s is Fake.
Who styled Marilyn’s hair for the JFK gala: Robert Champion or Kenneth Battelle?"
He claimed that Robert Champion "did not cut and style Marilyn’s hair for the JFK gala. It was actually the one and only Mr. Kenneth (Kenneth Battelle) who had the honors".
"Battelle is responsible for Marilyn’s famous hairstyle from that night, as documented by a receipt from Lilly Dache Beauty Salon (see photo). The receipt, dated May 25, 1962 list a 'Hair Dress' and references May 18 and 19, 1962," Fortner wrote.
"May 19th was the date of the Kennedy gala. The bottom the receipt reads, 'Kenneth Services at home Fri + Saturday.' Marilyn paid $150.00 for the service," Fortner added, including an image of said receipt as part of the post.
He then concluded: "So, I think we have to now wonder: Just who’s hair is she actually sleeping with?"
In response to the criticism, a representative from the Ripley's museum issued a statement to Metro stressing that the lock of hair is authentic.
"Ripley’s exhibit collection contains six different samples of Marilyn Monroe’s hair - all authenticated and truly Marilyn’s," they said. "The hair gifted to Kim was given by Marilyn Monroe to Robert Champion.
"This clipping was authenticated by John Reznikoff, one of the most respected and trusted experts in the field of hair collecting."
However, Fortner has continued to dispute Ripley's claims and wrote in a follow-up post that he still believes the lock of hair given to Kim is a "fake".