Even the most dedicated Marilyn Monroe fans didn’t know she had a long-lost sister until the story surfaced in the 1990s. Now, we can see Marilyn and her sister in a new light.
In 1926, a 24-year-old mother named Gladys Baker gave birth to a baby girl she named Norma Jean Mortensen. This little girl would later become the legendary Marilyn Monroe.
But Monroe’s childhood was anything but glamorous. Despite her love for her mother, Gladys wasn’t the most stable guardian. She never revealed the identity of Monroe’s biological father, leading to Marilyn being placed in foster care. Monroe didn’t even know she had a sister until she was 12, and they didn’t meet until she was 17 or 18.
Before Marilyn’s birth, Gladys had another child, Berniece Baker Miracle, from her first marriage. Berniece also had a brother, Jackie, but their father remarried and largely neglected them. Tragically, Jackie passed away at just 14, leaving Berniece feeling abandoned.
After years of hardship, Marilyn and Berniece found solace in each other and grew close. Berniece felt a strong sense of responsibility for her younger sister. Despite her efforts to help, including trying to find a better home for Marilyn and get their mother released from a mental health facility, their circumstances never fully improved.
