Scott Fortner, a Marilyn Monroe historian and collector, has stated that Ripley’s Believe It or Not sent Kim Kardashian a “fake” portion of Monroe’s hair as part of a promotional gift.

The reality star came at the Met Gala on May 2nd in a gown that had previously been worn by Monroe in 1962, when she charmed President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday celebration. With the assistance of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, who provided Kardashian with the dress for the event, the costume choice was made achievable for the star.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not also stated on Instagram that when Kardashian was at her dress fitting, she was presented with “a silver box that held an authentic strand of Marilyn Monroe’s famed golden hair,” according to the company.

“This is quite significant to me,” she expressed her gratitude. This is incredible. Thank you very much for your help.”

After seeing the franchising company’s statement on social media, Fortner, a collector of The Marilyn Monroe Collection, retaliated by posting his own response. “News Alert: Marilyn Monroe Hair Gifted to Kardashian by Ripley’s is Fake,” he writes in the caption of a new Instagram image, which claims the lock is a fake.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not website was also mentioned, and he said that there had been erroneous assertions made concerning Monroe’s stylist.

In the Instagram post, he provided an image of an article on the website, which promised a “exclusive view” inside Kardashian’s dressing room and featured a display of Monroe’s hair that “has been verified by John Reznikoff.” Monroe’s hairdresser, Robert Champion, chopped a strand of her hair after she performed for President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, according to the website.

But Fortner said that Monroe’s stylist for the JFK event was, in fact, Kenneth Battelle, and he even supplied a receipt from the salon where he worked that night to support his claim.

As he added, “it’s reasonable to believe that the hair delivered to KK was a part of the batch of hair that was trimmed by Robert Champion ‘immediately before to her MSG performance’.” Robert Champion did not cut and style Marilyn’s hair for the JFK Gala, according to a report in the press. That distinction belonged to none other than the one and only ‘Mr. Kenneth.'” According to a receipt from Lilly Dache Beauty Salon, Battelle is responsible for Marilyn’s renowned haircut from that night.”

Because Kardashian chose to wear the legendary gown worn by the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes actress at the Met Gala, she has received negative feedback from fashion historians, including Fortner, since the event. In an interview with People, Fortner said that the Kardashians’ costume was “a matter for worry,” claiming that Monroe’s dress was created to “exactly match every curve” of the late actor’s figure.

The president said that “although I appreciate the allure of wanting to wear such an iconic gown, it cannot be discounted or forgotten because anybody other than Marilyn Monroe wearing the legendary ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ dress may be cause for worry for a variety of reasons.” “Mrs. Monroe had the outfit constructed to her specifications.”

His description of Marilyn’s nakedness continued, saying that she “stand nude while the cloth for the garment is physically moulded to her body to exactly fit every curve.” “The fabric, which is a flesh-colored soufflé gauze imported from France, was artfully layered so that she wouldn’t have to wear undergarments,” says the author.

Monroe’s estate is managed by Nick Woodhouse, who told TMZ that he and his partners think Monroe would have been “thrilled” if she had seen Kardashian in her gown. In Woodhouse’s opinion, the actress would have thought it “quite amazing” that her outfit was worn again many years later at the Met Gala, which he described as “the epicenter of fashion and pop culture.”

He also said that there was “no better person” than Kardashian to wear Monroe’s gown since he finds numerous “similarities” between the two women, including the fact that they are both “strong, powerful, and independent businesspeople who enjoy being in front of the camera.”

Vogue published an interview with Kardashian in which she expressed her admiration for Monroe’s gown and “what it symbolizes to American history.” The interview was published before of the fashion spectacular.

“I have a great deal of respect for the outfit and what it represents in American history,” she said. “I would never want to sit in it, eat in it, or be in any situation where it might be damaged in any way, and I will not be applying the kind of body cosmetics that I normally do.”

She said that the costume was delivered by guards and that she donned gloves while putting it on in order to keep it secure. A copy of Monroe’s outfit was worn by the 41-year-old reality personality after she had walked down the red carpet and posed for photos at the Met Gala, according to her.

During an interview with The Independent, a spokesman from Ripley’s Believe It or Not said that the company’s story regarding Kardashian’s dressing room has been updated. In the description of the Monroe’s lock of hair, neither Champion nor Reznikoff are mentioned any longer in the article.

According to a spokesman from Ripley’s, “Ripley’s display collection comprises six separate samples of Marilyn Monroe’s hair – all of which have been verified as being from Marilyn Monroe.”

“The hair that was given to Kim was first given to Robert Champion by Marilyn Monroe,” she revealed. According to John Reznikoff, one of the most well-known and trusted authorities in hair collection, “this clipping has been validated by him.” It was presented to Kim in Ripley’s Orlando headquarters on April 23, 2022, rather than on the evening of the Met Gala that year. On May 2, 2022, a second clipping, this one somewhat altered, was displayed in Kim’s Met Gala dressing room.”