"Marilyn Monroe wasn't even a natural blonde" - Debate ensues as netizens react to Piers Morgan accusing Beyoncé of cultural appropriation

English broadcaster Piers Morgan shared his view about Beyoncé’s latest ad collaboration with Levi’s in an August 6 post on the social networking site X. Morgan has accused Queen Bey of culturally appropriating legendary American actress and model Marilyn Monroe, seemingly due to her blonde hairdo.

“Very disappointed to see Beyoncé culturally appropriate Marilyn Monroe in her new Levi’s ad,” Piers captioned his post alongside an image of the singer in her denim-on-denim attire.

Both Levi’s and the Texas Hold ‘Em artist are yet to respond to Piers Morgan. However, the now-viral tweet has sparked an online debate. While many agreed with the journalist, others defended Beyoncé and her collaboration with the denim brand.

For instance, Instagram user @rima_rima2x commented on The Shade Room’s post, pointing out that Marilyn Monroe was not naturally blonde.

“Marilyn Monroe wasn’t even a natural blonde,” the user wrote.

A netizen slams Piers Morgan for his comment on Queen Bey. (Image via Instagram)

Several others joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on X, siding with Queen Bey and opposing Piers Morgan.

“We need to stop already with the whole cultural appropriation thing. Enough already. We used to encourage interest in each other's cultures... etc. I don't care,” a fan wrote.

“You see appropriation, I see ‘I look better at this than y'all do’ -level mocking. That's what the country album was for as well,” another fan wrote.

“Marilyn Monroe is not a culture, Piers,” a user wrote.

“Marilyn Monroe had blonde hair, which means… black people can't put on wigs? Is that really the argument?” another user asked.

Meanwhile, some people seemed to agree with the media personality.

“Beyoncé cannot make it on her own looks, so she has to steal an iconic white woman's looks!” a netizen wrote.

“Can't get even close to the real thing either,” another netizen wrote.

“She will never be in any way Marilyn Monroe,” an individual wrote.

American singer, actress, and TV host Dionne Warwick also mocked Morgan for his Beyoncé remark. She reposted his tweet and wrote, "Getting involved in women's business again, I see..."

Piers Morgan has since claimed his post on Beyoncé was a “joke.” In response to one of the commentators under his tweet calling his remark “idiotic,” he wrote:

“I would say I can’t believe anyone took my obvious Beyoncé joke post seriously, but I forgot the woke brigade has no sense of humor.”

Morgan previously landed in muddy waters with Queen Bey and her husband Jay-Z in October 2024. Back then, singer-songwriter Jaguar Wright appeared on his show and made explosive allegations about the couple’s alleged connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ reported criminal activities.

Piers issued a public apology on his podcast after Hov and Beyonce’s lawyers contacted him, claiming Wright’s accusations were “totally false and have no basis in fact.” The former Good Morning Britain host added that Jaguar’s claims would be edited from his show.

---

Exploring Beyoncé’s latest collaboration with Levi’s

On August 4, Levi’s official Instagram page unveiled its latest collaboration with Beyoncé. The post had four pictures of the pop icon dressed in bejewelled denim-on-denim attire, including a shirt and a pair of trousers.

“BEYONCÉ X LEVI’S. Iconic denim, reimagined. Available August 7 on Levi.com,” the caption read.

Queen Bey's latest collaboration with Levi's. (Image via X)

In the photoshoot, Queen Bey was seen sporting platinum blonde curls, winged eyeliner, and red lipstick, seemingly channelling the iconic looks from the 1950s-60s Hollywood era, including those worn by Marilyn Monroe in movies such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, as explained by Hindustan Times.

Meanwhile, according to the New York Post, the latest campaign is inspired by the Levi’s classic ads from the 1980s and 1990s and is part of its ongoing REIIMAGINE campaign.

On Monday, the brand, along with Beyoncé, also shared a 1:29-minute ad film from the campaign titled, “Chapter 04 ‘THE DENIM COWBOY’ LEVIIS JEANS." Divided into three parts, namely ‘The Ice,’ ‘The Heat,’ and ‘The Smoke,’

It showed Queen Bey riding a motorcycle and a horse while appearing in a diner, laundromat, and pool hall setting. Notably, the first three chapters of the ad series were launched over the last year, beginning in September 2024.

According to the Levi’s website, the collaboration came amid Queen Bey’s song LEVII’S JEANS featuring Post Malone from her 2024 studio album, Cowboy Carter.

---

Megyn Kelly

@megynkelly

This is the opposite of the Sydney Sweeney ad. Quite clearly there is nothing natural about Beyonce. Everything - from her image to her fame to her success to her look below - is bought and paid for. Screams artificial, fake, enhanced, trying too hard.

Piers Morgan isn’t the only celebrity to have negatively reacted to Queen Bey’s new Levi’s campaign. American journalist and political commentator Megyn Kelly compared it to Sydney Sweeney’s jeans campaign, and called the former “artificial” and “fake.”

“This is the opposite of the Sydney Sweeney ad. Quite clearly, there is nothing natural about Beyoncé. Everything - from her image to her fame to her success to her look below - is bought and paid for. Screams artificial, fake, enhanced, trying too hard,” Kelly’s caption on X read.

For those uninitiated, Sydney Sweeney’s July 2025 American Eagle jeans campaign titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” sparked controversy for using the denim pun “great jeans” in place of “great genes,” which was accused of carrying racial undertones. AE has since denied the same, while the Euphoria actress has continued to maintain her silence.