Marilyn Monroe and Playboy: the magazine she did not consent to launching

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Cloud10

Tv & Film, News, Society & Culture, Entertainment News

4.4 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On the week marking what would be Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday, we are revisiting (and reframing) one of the most famous brand relationships she was understood to be a part of: Playboy Magazine, serving as their first ever cover model. We'll overview the story of why Marilyn posed nude in the first place, how Hugh Hefner got his hands on the rights to those images, and her own reflection on how she was used to generate millions (with not even a thank-you note). Plus, the follow-up invitation to pose for the magazine, after she posed unclothed in a swimming pool on the set of Something's Got To Give - photos that ended up in Life Magazine, successfully generating buzz for her career again while Fox poured money and attention into Elizabeth Taylor. The Playboy "invitation" came on her last day alive. Finally, we'll overview another Playboy model's celebrated "kinship" to Marilyn, Anna Nicole Smith, and our understanding of how Marilyn was used as a template for the magazine's next 60+ years. Find me everywhere!! Linktr.ee/LiterallyLauraD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When was the last time you stopped and listened to your body?
0:03.0	Here's a Holland and Barrett ad break to do just that.
0:06.0	Go on. Have a listen to your gut.
0:10.0	Is that a gurgle?
0:12.0	A rumble?
0:14.0	Is it straining after lunch?
0:16.0	Or is it saying...
0:18.0	You've got to show me love.
0:21.6	We know what your body's asking for.
0:24.6	In store online on the app.
0:27.6	Back your body, Holland and Barrett.
0:29.6	Attention all passengers.
0:33.6	The Uber ride for Mark and Jamal's romantic weekend will depart in four minutes from Platform 6.
0:40.3	Your ride comes with a rolling countryside sunset view and a table seat, ideal for playing footsie beneath.
0:47.3	Thank you for booking your tickets on Uber.
0:51.3	Trains on Uber.
1:06.1	June 1st would have marked Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday, and she is an icon that continues to be reimagined and re-understood year after year.
1:09.8	One of the professional relationships that people
1:11.8	may associate with Marilyn Monroe is between herself and Playboy magazine. However, I'm going to say
1:18.1	that most of what the general public may assume about Marilyn's relationship with Playboy
1:23.3	is missing the story. The actual story about Marilyn and Playboy is actually far darker and more
1:29.6	interesting than just iconic cover girl launches media empire. This is the story of how a young,
	...

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