EXCLUSIVE: Inside Marilyn Monroe's Scandalous Secret Fling With Elvis Presley During Her Marriage to Arthur Miller
Marilyn Monroe is believed to have had a secret affair with Elvis Presley.
May 28 2026, Published 7:21 p.m. ET
Marilyn Monroe once had a passionate yet scandalous secret fling with Elvis Presley during her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, according to a former talent agent.
As what would have been her 100th birthday approaches, RadarOnline.com revisits the Hollywood starlet's steamy night with the King of Rock 'n Roll.
A 'Glorious' One-Night Stand
Marilyn Monroe first met Elvis Presley in 1960.
Byron Raphael, who worked with Presley, reportedly said bosses at his agency came up with the idea for the King to go on a set-up date with the Some Like It Hot actress for publicity.
But what started out as a stunt, eventually turned into a "glorious" one-night stand.
"Elvis had never seen Marilyn, then in the early summer of 1960 the two most explosive and legendary s-- symbols of their era sized each other up in the street in front of a soundstage at Twentieth Century Fox, and came away unnerved," an insider exclusively shared.
Elvis Presley was considered a 's-- symbol' at the time.
When the Burning Love singer finally saw her again and asked her out, Monroe reportedly liked his "smile" and the way he "filled out his trousers," according to author Alanna Nash, who wrote Baby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him – but she wasn't 100 percent impressed.
Presley approached her "in his usual self-deprecating way, his soft baritone edged in southern charm" and said, "‘Hello, my name is Elvis Presley. How are you, Miss Monroe?’"
Marilyn Monroe Initially Turned Him Down
Marilyn Monroe declined Elvis Presley's first invitation to go out on a date.
However, when she noticed the crowd all around him, she declined his invitation.
"Elvis asked her if she would like to come to a party that he was giving the next night," Raphael shared in resurfaced comments. "She looked at the guys and said ‘I’m sorry. I can’t, but thank you’ and kind of dashed away. He was very embarrassed, but I think she turned him down because she felt it was too public."
At the time, she was with Miller, but the marriage "wasn't going well."
"But, as marriages go in those days, in New York, you had to be very careful, because there was fault divorces, rather than no-fault divorces," Raphael explained. "Adultery could not only mean money, but tremendous scandal."
Inside Their Steamy Night
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe reportedly had a one-night stand, according to a former talent agent.
Presley didn't give up. Two weeks later, the talent agent claimed that the Jailhouse Rock artist called her up and told her that he wanted to see her.
When they finally did meet, it was like fireworks.
"They came together and, without saying a word, started kissing," Raphael recalled. "I was in shock and I didn’t know what to do. Then Marilyn, who was about 10 years older, said, ‘You’re pretty good for a guitar player.’ “After two minutes, they went into the bedroom and I didn’t know if I was supposed to leave, or stay and wait for them, so I sort of just dozed off."
But Raphael was "startled awake" by the bedroom door opening and both celebrities walking out "stark naked."
"A few days later, when I mentioned Marilyn to Elvis, he said, ‘She’s a nice gal, but a little tall for me,'" he said. "I knew that this was the sort of thing that could ruin their careers. They were two of the most famous people in the world and Marilyn was still married to Arthur Miller at the time — so I never said a word."
