Jimmy Kimmel tore into Amazon’s new documentary about Melania Trump during his Tuesday night Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue.
Directed by Brett Ratner, Melania is an inside look at Donald Trump‘s partner as she prepared to return to the White House before the 2025 inauguration. The film is distributed by Amazon MGM Studios and rolling out into more than 1,500 theaters across the U.S. this weekend.
“According to the writer Michael Wolff, Melania is bigly upset that the murders in Minneapolis are overshadowing the release of the $75 million bribe — I mean, ‘documentary’ — that Amazon made for her,” Kimmel said. “[ICE protester] Alex Pretti was killed on Saturday, the same day they had a VIP screening of the movie at the White House. Now, when she’s promoting her film she has to answer questions about it.”
The host then showed a clip of the first lady on Fox News being asked for her message to America about “unifying, both sides.”
“We need to unify,” Melania flatly replied. “I am calling for unity.”
“Oh, good, Melania’s calling for unity,” Kimmel snarked. “Either that, or she is ordering tea, it’s hard to tell.”
Melania then said during her interview that Donald Trump “loved” the film: “He said ‘must watch.’”
“For him, it is a must watch, not for us,” Kimmel said. “My guess is he saw the first eight minutes and fell asleep in his popcorn bucket … Her son and her husband liked it. All the people in the movie are giving it rave reviews — that’s enough for me.”
Melania opens in theaters Friday. While screenshots of theaters with unsold seats have been circulating on social media, tracking service NRG has predicted a launch in the $5 million range — which would be enormously successful for a documentary. Exhibitors are less certain, however.
Amazon MGM paid $40 million to license the film and is expected to spend another $35 million on marketing — thus Kimmel’s $75 million “bribe” figure.
The official description: “Twenty days before the 2025 presidential inauguration, Melania Trump navigates the complexities of the White House transition as she prepares for the role of first lady once again.”
