Where this trend actually came from
Unlike most of what our desk fact-checks, this one didn't start on TikTok or Instagram — it started in a print magazine, decades before either existed. The claim resurfaced online as a "newly discovered" bit of old Hollywood trivia, and our first instinct with anything framed that way is skepticism. So we went looking for the actual interview instead of trusting the recap.
The name attached to this trend
We independently confirmed this one, and it holds up: the quote comes from an interview Marilyn Monroe gave to Pageant magazine, published around September 1952. In it, she describes her actual morning routine in her own words: "Before I take my morning shower, I start warming a cup of milk on the hot plate I keep in my hotel room. When it's hot, I break two raw eggs into the milk, whip them up with a fork, and drink them while I'm dressing." She followed that with a multivitamin and, by her own account, added: "I doubt if any doctor could recommend a more nourishing breakfast for a working girl in a hurry." This wasn't a rumor attached to her after the fact — it's a direct quote, on record, from her.
What the claim actually is
The claim making the rounds is that Marilyn Monroe drank raw eggs whisked into hot milk every morning instead of a conventional breakfast, and that she considered it more nourishing than a typical meal. Some versions add that her dinners were simple broiled protein — steak, lamb chops, or liver — with raw carrots on the side, which by her account was true as well and likely reflects the hotel-living reality of not having a real kitchen.
What we found
The historical claim checks out. What doesn't automatically carry over is the safety picture. Egg production, handling, and consumer awareness of foodborne illness were genuinely different in 1952 than they are now. Raw eggs today carry a real, well-documented salmonella risk, and modern food-safety guidance generally recommends against drinking raw eggs as-is. That's not us being overly cautious for the sake of it — it's a real, current recommendation, and it's the reason we're not telling you to just crack two raw eggs into hot milk and go.
The good news is the spirit of the routine — a quick, protein-forward drink for people who don't have time for a sit-down breakfast — translates fine into a version that doesn't carry that risk. Pasteurized eggs go through a heat process that kills the bacteria of concern while leaving the egg raw in texture, which is the standard modern substitute wherever a recipe calls for raw egg. A soft-cooked or coddled egg is another reasonable substitute if pasteurized eggs aren't available where you live.
The Verdict
True. Marilyn Monroe really did describe this exact breakfast, in her own words, in a 1952 Pageant magazine interview. The modern caveat is real too: today's food-safety guidance recommends pasteurized eggs (or a cooked substitute) instead of truly raw ones.
How to make it — a safer modern version
- Warm 1 cup of milk gently on the stove or in the microwave until hot but not boiling.
- Crack two pasteurized eggs into the warm milk. Pasteurized eggs are treated to kill harmful bacteria while staying raw, so they're the modern stand-in for what Monroe described.
- Whisk briskly with a fork or small frother until fully blended and slightly foamy.
- Drink it while you get ready, the way she described — or, if you'd rather not use raw pasteurized eggs at all, swap in one soft-cooked or coddled egg stirred into the warm milk instead.
- Follow it with a daily multivitamin, echoing her own routine.
What you'll need
- Pasteurized eggsThe modern, food-safety-conscious substitute for raw eggs; often a refrigerated grocery item, also available as a shelf-stable powdered alternativeSee on Amazon
- Handheld milk frotherFor quickly whisking the eggs and milk together until smoothSee on Amazon
- Small milk warmerHandy for gently heating a single cup of milk on a countertop, no stove neededSee on Amazon
- Daily multivitaminTo round out the routine the way Monroe described taking one alongside her breakfastSee on Amazon
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Sources
- Marilyn Monroe, interview with Pageant magazine, circa September 1952 (as reprinted and quoted in subsequent reporting)
- Tasting Table, "The Unusual Meal Of Eggs And Milk That Marilyn Monroe Adored"
- Marie Claire Australia, "A Newly Discovered Marilyn Monroe Interview Reveals Her Bizarre Diet Secrets"
- The Takeout, "Marilyn Monroe Ate Breakfast Like A Body Builder"