EXCLUSIVE: Secrets of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor's Astonishing Bond Revealed as Fans Mark What Would Have Been Blonde Bombshell's 100th Birthday
Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor shared a remarkable bond that still fascinates fans today.
June 5 2026, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
They were two of the biggest female s-x symbols of the '50s and early '60s, but RadarOnline.com can reveal Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor didn't consider each other competitors.
"In many ways [they] were pitted against each other by the press," Charles Casillo wrote in his book, Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon. "In reality, they barely knew each other, and the two had no animosity toward each other."
Taylor Offered Monroe Quiet Support
Elizabeth Taylor reportedly offered to publicly support Marilyn Monroe during her dispute with 20th Century Fox over 'Something's Gotta Give.'
Quite the opposite. Casillo wrote of an incident in 1962, when 20th Century Fox was bleeding money on Taylor's overbudgeted extravaganza Cleopatra. The studio simultaneously fired Monroe for alleged absences from the set of her never completed final film, the aptly titled Something's Gotta Give.
Monroe felt she was being sacrificed so Fox could save on her salary and spend it on finishing the bloated Egyptian epic. Two decades later, Taylor revealed to a friend that she had reached out to Monroe to offer her support during this difficult period.
Taylor's Advice Haunted Monroe
Charles Casillo wrote that Monroe was moved by Taylor's offer to quit 'Cleopatra' unless she was rehired.
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"Liz told Marilyn she was willing to publicly demonstrate her solidarity," Casillo said, offering to quit Cleopatra unless Marilyn were rehired. "Marilyn was very moved by Liz's kindness toward her, but she didn't want to make matters worse for either of them," so she declined the generous offer.
Instead, Taylor gave Monroe an invaluable piece of advice.
"No matter what they write about me, Marilyn, I never deny it," Casillo quoted Taylor as saying. "I never confirm it. I just keep smiling and walking forward. You do the same."
Tragically, Monroe didn't live long enough to put those words into action.
