Marilyn Monroe’s Guilty Pleasure Was a Hot Fudge Sundae—And She Didn’t Care Who Said No

Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most glamorous and enduring icons in Hollywood history. Yet behind the perfectly curated image of the blonde bombshell was a woman with quirks, habits, and cravings that made her deeply human. Among them? A guilty pleasure she never abandoned—even when her doctor told her not to: the hot fudge sundae.

A Sweet Indulgence After Drama Class

In a 1952 Pageant magazine interview titled “How I Stay in Shape,” Monroe revealed the dietary habits that kept her camera-ready. While much of her daily routine was structured and protein-heavy, she confessed to a nightly ritual that betrayed her sweet tooth: stopping at Wil Wright’s ice cream parlor for a hot fudge sundae after drama class.

“In recent months I have developed the habit of stopping off at Wil Wright’s ice cream parlor for a hot fudge sundae on my way home from my evening drama classes,” she admitted.

For Monroe, these indulgences weren’t just desserts—they were small acts of joy in a life under constant scrutiny. After grueling days of rehearsals and navigating Hollywood’s pressures, the creamy, chocolate-drenched sundaes offered a moment of comfort.

Defying the Doctor’s Orders

But not everyone approved of Monroe’s sugary rituals. Her dermatologist, Erno Laszlo—famed for treating Hollywood’s elite—urged her to avoid certain foods to preserve her flawless skin. According to an exhibit at New York City’s Makeup Museum, Laszlo gave Monroe a list of dietary restrictions, widely believed to include high-fat and high-sugar treats like sundaes.

In the 1950s, dermatologists often linked sweets and rich foods to acne or dull complexions. For Monroe, whose career relied in part on her luminous beauty, Laszlo’s warnings carried weight. Still, she wasn’t one to let medical advice rob her of simple pleasures. Her willingness to defy “forbidden” foods reflected a broader tension in her life: balancing the rigid demands of Hollywood with her own personal freedom.

A Diet of Contrasts

Monroe’s eating habits have fascinated biographers for decades, in part because they were such a blend of strict discipline and indulgent eccentricity.

• Breakfast: She started her mornings with a concoction of warm milk mixed with two raw eggs and a multivitamin, which she described as “a more nourishing breakfast for a working girl in a hurry.”

• Dinner: Often a broiled steak, lamb chops, or liver paired with raw carrots—her favorite vegetable, which she once joked made her “part rabbit.”

• Comfort Foods: Beyond sundaes, Monroe also loved rice pudding, custard, and even nightly eggnog. Shopping lists unearthed from her cookbooks revealed a taste for English muffins, strawberry jam, and cheddar cheese.

Even while maintaining her famed hourglass figure, Monroe allowed herself space for comfort food—a balance of discipline and indulgence that mirrored her broader search for happiness within the strict confines of stardom.

More Than a Starlet: A Woman Who Lived

Monroe’s passion for food, and her refusal to always adhere to rigid rules, makes her story more relatable. In 1954, while visiting Japan with her then-husband Joe DiMaggio, she enjoyed onion gratin at a Fukuoka restaurant, delighting in local cuisine just as she did in California ice cream parlors. These glimpses into her culinary life reveal not just an actress chasing beauty standards, but a woman savoring the small joys that gave her comfort.

The image of Monroe, radiant and iconic, sneaking off for a hot fudge sundae after drama class is more than charming trivia—it’s a reminder that even the most glamorous figures are human. In choosing pleasure over restriction, Marilyn Monroe challenged the rigid ideals of her time, embodying a kind of authenticity that continues to resonate today.

At 53 years since her passing, her words and indulgences still echo: Marilyn Monroe wasn’t just a star—she was a woman who lived, unapologetically, on her own terms.

Would you like me to frame this as a nostalgic lifestyle feature (focusing on Marilyn’s eating habits and personality quirks) or as a cultural commentary piece that ties her sundae indulgence to broader Hollywood pressures and body-image standards?