Courtney Stodden is joining the growing chorus of Marilyn Monroe fans lambasting “Blonde” for its portrayal of the beloved Hollywood icon.
“I will not be watching,” the “Boy Destroyer” singer, 28 — who identifies as non-binary and uses they/she pronouns — exclusively told Page Six at Thursday night’s premiere of “Drag: The Musical” in Los Angeles.
“As somebody who understands what it feels like to be exploited in a sexual way and then have people turn you into a joke when you are not a joke,” they continued, “I think diving into that is a little disrespectful.”
Andrew Dominik’s film — starring Ana de Armas as Monroe — soared to the top of Netflix’s movie chart after its Wednesday premiere.
But the NC-17 drama has ignited outrage among viewers who find its depiction to be “cruel” and drenched in misogyny.
Ana de Armas plays Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s film about the beloved Hollywood icon. AP“Given all the indignities and horrors that Marilyn Monroe endured during her 36 years, it is a relief that she didn’t have to suffer through the vulgarities of ‘Blonde,’ the latest necrophiliac entertainment to exploit her,” the New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis fumed in her review.
“Blonde” is based on the Joyce Oates Carol novel of the same name, a fictional take on Monroe’s life and the succession of tragedies she experienced — including childhood abuse and sexual assault — before her untimely death on Aug. 4, 1962, at age 36.
Stodden, who has long idolized Monroe, will not be watching “Blonde” as “somebody who understands what it feels like to be exploited.” MEGA“I would urge people to not watch the movie because that is not Marilyn Monroe, that is not her story. It’s fictionalized and it’s to make her something she wasn’t,” Stodden told Page Six.
“She never wanted to be the girl they’re painting her as. Please, please don’t watch it.”
Invoking Cara Crocker’s 2007 plea to end the societal censure of Britney Spears, the Monroe acolyte added, “Like she said, ‘Leave Britney alone!’ — now it’s time we say, ‘Leave Marilyn alone!’”
“Blonde” has been slammed for its “cruel” depiction of Monroe’s personal tragedies. ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett ColleThere is particular indignation over a scene in “Blonde” that some perceive to be “anti-abortion.”
Steph Herold, an abortion researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, tweeted, “It depicts Marilyn being coerced into her first abortion, screaming on the table that she’s changed her mind, and then she hallucinates finding a crying baby in her childhood home, which is engulfed in flames.”
Herold asserted that “Blonde” is “so anti-abortion, so sexist” and “so exploitative.” Justin Chang, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, agreed, writing in his review, “The film isn’t really about Marilyn Monroe. It’s about making her suffer.”
Stodden believes the entertainment industry is “still exploiting” Monroe beyond “Blonde” — even Kim Kardashian, who wore the star’s celebrated “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” gown at May’s Met Gala.
“Bits and pieces of her are being scattered around, dresses are being worn,” they said. “And I just feel really bad for her.”
Stodden has long idolized Monroe, paying homage to her in photo shoots, tattooing her face on their ankle and often visiting the actress’ Westwood gravesite. (“You’re in my heart and my very nature,” they wrote in a letter left at Monroe’s memorial in 2016.)
Stodden frequently visits Monroe’s gravesite. WireImage“The Marilyn Monroe fan club invites me to her memorial every year. It’s always emotional,” Stodden said, noting they feel the spirit of Monroe’s ex-husband, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, during visits.
“I honestly feel Joe DiMaggio’s spirit there more than I do Marilyn’s because Joe would put her favorite flowers on her gravesite for years, and he was the one who put her whole funeral together. So, I feel him there, for sure.”
When asked if there is ever interest in contacting Monroe through a medium, Stodden kindly shut that idea down.
Monroe’s face is tattooed on Stodden’s ankle. Courtney Stodden/Instagram“Mirroring back to exploitation and disrespecting the dead — and Marilyn in particular — I would never,” they said. “More than anything, Marilyn Monroe really just deserves to be at peace.”
Still, Stodden feels “very connected” to Monroe as they, too, have sustained their fair share of scrutiny. The “Celebrity Big Brother UK” alum became a tabloid fixture in 2011 at the age of 16 when they married now-ex-husband Doug Hutchison, a man 34 years their senior.
At the time of the wedding, the Tacoma, Wash., native was mercilessly slut-shamed by the public, press and even celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and Jason Biggs.
Stodden, pictured here with fiancé Chris Sheng, caught up with Page Six at the Los Angeles premiere of “Drag: The Musical.” Getty ImagesIn 2020, the marriage, which Stodden has alleged was “abusive” and felt like a “conservatorship,” was legally dissolved.
Stodden — who is now engaged to entrepreneur Chris Sheng — acknowledged to Page Six, “I’ve been through a lot.”
