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Reality-television star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian may be the first Met Gala guest in history to generate more buzz in the aftermath of the event than on its legendary red carpet.
Kardashian made a splash at the annual gala last month when she wore the gown screen legend Marilyn Monroe wore during her infamous "Happy Birthday" serenade to late President John F. Kennedy, which has been archived in a museum for decades.
But in the weeks after the event, all anyone can talk about is how Kardashian seems to have damaged the garment while wearing it--archivists say sequins are missing and that there are "tears" and "pulling" along the seams, leaving many outraged.
Kardashian isn't having it. During an interview on TODAY, Kardashian swatted away the allegations, saying she didn't have the gown on long enough to have damaged it so badly. See her comments below.
\u201cKim Kardashian talks about wearing Marilyn Monroe\u2019s iconic dress to the #MetGala and responds to accusations that she ruined it.\u201d— TODAY (@TODAY) 1655814671
Speaking about the allegations with TODAY hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, Kardashian said:
"I showed up to the red carpet in a robe and slippers and I put the dress on at the bottom of the carpet, went up the stairs."
"I probably had it on for three minutes, four minutes, and then I changed right at the top of the stairs."
She added that she didn't put herself into the dress either--professionals were called in to assist.
"There were handlers in gloves that put it on me."
After walking the red carpet, Kardashian changed into a replica of the Bob Mackie-designed gown for the rest of the events.
But that was enough to do some damage, according to some eagle-eyed Monroe fans who've taken before-and-after photos of the dress in its display at the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum, the dress's present owner.
The photos show several missing sequins and what appears to be alterations made to the dress's closures. But Amanda Joiner, the museum's VP of publishing and licensing, denies the claims. In a statement, she echoed Kardashian's version of events.
"From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in."
On Twitter, many people weren't convinced--and they were left more angry by Kardashian's comments
\u201c@TODAYshow @KimKardashian Kim kardashian is trying to sell something to line her pockets, this woman can not be honest about how her body really looks like & want to sell products. We don't want to see kim, there are more important issues to talk about. DO BETTER!\u201d— TODAY (@TODAY) 1655814671
\u201c@HuffPost and it took a few minutes after 8.15 on the morning of 6th August 1945, the Japanese city of Hiroshima was flattened. what's her point ?\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1655849508
\u201c@TODAYshow @KimKardashian Why dont you have the expert on that actually knows the dress and how it was damaged? its the trumpism lie\u2026.she said she didn\u2019t damage it so she must be telling the truth. Congrats on being the PR mouthpiece she needed and to sell her product\u2026 #disappointed\u201d— TODAY (@TODAY) 1655814671
\u201c@latimes So it spontaneously damaged itself just coincidentally after she wore it? This entitled clown has no concept of personal responsibility.\u201d— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times) 1655904600
\u201c@TODAYshow @KimKardashian The level of stupidity she possess is unending. You ruined the dress for just 3 minutes of clout. Marilyn Monroe is popular without your help. She has countless of documentaries, biopics, novels, endorsements like Chanel, highest earning dead celebrity. WTF @KimKardashian\u201d— TODAY (@TODAY) 1655814671
\u201c@latimes Shouldn\u2019t have been worn, period, should be in a museum!\u201d— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times) 1655857800
\u201c@latimes She could have worn a copy, not the original, but is way too entitled for that.\u201d— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times) 1655848738
\u201c@HuffPost Why did she even bother? Is it that every waking minute of life has to be a spectacle? Has to one-up herself from moment to moment or fade from the spotlight? Wish she'd enjoy her already-attained success and her family.\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1655849508
\u201c@TODAYshow @KimKardashian She wore a replica dress at the top of the stairs had the real dress on 4 less than 5 mins what ppl seem to be missing is why not wear the replica on the stairs? no one would have known the diff instead her vanity gave way to common sense and she risked ruining the dress \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0fffs\u201d— TODAY (@TODAY) 1655814671
Whether she damaged it or not, it doesn't seem like her response has done much to tamp down the anger over Kardashian having worn the dress in the first place.
Even its designer Bob Mackie pointedly told Entertainment Weekly, "nobody else should be seen in that dress." Ouch.