Kim Kardashian Allegedly Damaged Marilyn Monroe Dress at Met Gala

As we all know, the Skims mogul made headlines for donning Monroe's iconic 1962 "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress at the 2022 Met Gala. Yet despite Kardashian telling Vogue ahead of the event that she only wore the delicate original to walk the red carpet before changing into a replica, the move still divided public opinion, given the piece's immense historical and pop cultural significance. And now, it seems as if the critics may have been right about this being the wrong decision, seeing as how Kardashian allegedly damaged the "world's most expensive dress."

On Monday, Pop Crave tweeted out two side-by-side snaps of the dress, one that was supposedly taken prior to the Met Gala and a second pic that was allegedly taken after Kardashian put it on. In the second photo, the dress seems to be visibly damaged around the back closure, where the fabric is missing some crystals and noticeably stretched out, with some signs of tearing in several places.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum — the owner of the dress — has yet to confirm the authenticity of the photos. However, the museum did previously address the criticism surrounding their choice to loan Kardashian the "fragile" piece in a statement to the New York Post, in which they called it "no easy decision."

"Kim Kardashian has continued to show the utmost respect for this opportunity and historic garment,” Ripley's said, claiming there was "no damage" to the dress when it was returned.

The museum added, “From extensive research to following guidelines such as no body makeup, only wearing the dress for the short red-carpet appearance, and making absolutely no alterations, she has become a steward — and added to — its history.”

See photos of the alleged damage via Pop Crave below.

Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress has reportedly been damaged after being worn by Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala.

The dress now shows signs of tearing, and several crystals are either missing or hanging off of it. pic.twitter.com/cFu1lUBmzS

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 13, 2022

Photo via Getty / Gotham