How Professional Jealousy Fueled Joan Crawford's Beef With Marilyn Monroe

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Joan Crawford rose from flapper to one of Hollywood's main starlets, dominating the box office throughout the '30s and '40s with popular melodramas like "Mildred Pierce," which earned her an Oscar in 1946. But, as with everything, times change. The United States left behind the Depression era, during which Crawford's rags-to-riches stories were so popular, and welcomed a more vibrant time in the aftermath of World War II. In the '50s, moviegoers were ready for a change, one that no one reflected as well as Marilyn Monroe.

It was a change that was hard for Crawford to accept. The sex appeal that emerged with the newcomers was a particularly difficult pill for one of the most recognizable Golden Age stars to swallow. And Monroe's performance in her now-iconic gold dress at the 1953 Photoplay Awards became the final straw. "Crawford watched in disgust, drinking herself into a stupor," Monroe's fellow blond bombshell of the era Mamie Van Doren wrote in her 2026 memoir, "You Thought I Was Dead" (via Entertainment Weekly). She didn't stop there, though. After the event, Crawford publicly condemned Monroe's performance. "I[t] was like a burlesque show," she told Associated Press reporter Bob Thomas, who later became her biographer.

She continued: "The audience yelled and shouted, and Jerry Lewis got up on the table and whistled. But those of us in the industry just shuddered." It might seem a harsh criticism against a fellow actor and woman, but Van Doren — who, along with Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, composed the Three Ms — can see her side. "It must have been difficult for her to witness the changing of the Hollywood talent landscape," she wrote. Monroe, however, didn't let it slide.

Joan Crawford's remarks alone wouldn't have been enough to rank the situation among the forgotten feuds of Hollywood's Golden Age stars, but it sure became one when Marilyn Monroe responded. While she opted to go the "no comment" route when Bob Thomas first reached out, she later issued a written response that has been praised for her decision to take the high road. "Although I don't know Miss Crawford very well, she was a symbol to me of kindness and understanding to those who need help. At first, all I could think of was why should she select me to blast? She is a great star. I'm just starting," her response read (via Vanity Fair).

Monroe admitted that Crawford's words hurt her, but noted that she had chosen to move past it. "And then, when the first hurt began to die down, I told myself she must have spoken to Mr. Thomas impulsively, without thinking," she continued. Her response was rather ingenious for a few reasons. Not only did Monroe show empathy toward the woman who openly criticized her, but she also painted Crawford as impulsive and jealous without using any harsh words.

Despite the nasty feud between the Hollywood stars, the two might have had a one-night stand. Monroe's supposed confession was revealed as part of the secret tapes between her and her psychiatrist. "After I turned her down, she became spiteful," Monroe reportedly said when Crawford showed interest in continuing the affair (via Los Angeles Times). However, the tape excerpts aren't verified, so they need to be taken with a grain of salt.