Jackie Kennedy once received a 'disturbing' call from Marilyn Monroe

18 July 2023 , 22:30

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Jackie Kennedy's phone call with Marilyn Monroe has been revealed (Image: Getty Images)

Author J. Randy Taraborrelli chronicled the life of Jackie Kennedy in his book "Jackie: Public, Private, Secret" and it would be a disservice to not include Marilyn Monroe.

Ultimately, Marilyn was the mistress of Jackie's husband, President John F. Kennedy. Part of what the author uncovered was a strange phone call between Jackie and Marilyn that, until now, had stayed within the family.

According to the book, Marilyn called the Kennedy household while the President was away. She asked if he was home and when Jackie explained that he was not, Marilyn identified herself and asked if the person on the other end of the phone was Jackie. It was, of course, so Jackie asked what the call was about.

Actress Marilyn Monroe famously had an affair with President John F. Kennedy (Corbis via Getty Images)

Jackie Kennedy had told her husband to end his relationship with Marilyn Monroe (Getty Images)

When Marilyn said she was just calling to say hello with no real intent, Jackie declined to take a message and ended the call. What really bothered Jackie about the call wasn't necessarily the possible concerns of infidelity. Instead, she said that Marilyn sounded "sad" and that her voice was "ethereal, little-girl-lost quality".

Taraborrelli told Fox News Digital: "She was more the type to be polite and hang up, which is exactly what she did... Had it been Elizabeth Taylor or any other movie star, there wouldn't have been intrigue to it. Even if it was one of the other women JFK was having an affair with, there still wouldn't have been much intrigue. Anything that Marilyn touched has always created a point of interest."

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Jackie found this call "disturbing". Worse yet, she couldn't be certain that it was Marilyn who called.

The author explained: "It was 10 years of wondering, was it really Marilyn Monroe?"

After all, apparently the number that Marilyn would have had to call wasn't easy to get through to. The Kennedy's calls were monitored by Secret Service agents the only calls that weren't screened were the ones directly going to their bedroom. That number, though, was reserved for a small number of family members.

Jackie Kennedy never actually divorced her husband (Getty Images)

Taraborrelli has also claimed that this phone call marked a key point in the story because it came after Jackie specifically telling the President to end whatever it was that was happening with Marilyn. JFK continued to maintain that they were just friends, but agreed with Jackie.

Alex West