Amazon announced this past weekend its plans to distribute a documentary about the once-and-future first lady Melania Trump—and now we know just how much the online retailer will pay for it.
Puck News reported earlier Monday that Amazon has agreed to fork over $40 million to license the documentary, which will be directed by the once-“canceled” director Brett Ratner, who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by at least six women.
With this deal, according to Puck News, Amazon will get the rights to distribute Melania’s podcast and will also host a “previously undisclosed two-to-three episode follow-up docuseries” on the incoming first lady, who will supposedly participate in both projects.
It isn’t all that shocking that Melania is partnering with a Jeff Bezos-funded company on a film project. Bezos, who has had a rocky relationship with Trump, has been among the Silicon Valley execs kissing Trump’s ring ahead of his second term in the White House. Among other things, The Washington Post owner killed his paper’s endorsement of Trump’s 2024 rival, Vice President Kamala Harris; was among the first billionaires to congratulate Trump on his second win; and donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural funds.
What’s weirder is the fact that Ratner is directing. He hasn’t worked on a major Hollywood production since he was accused of alleged sexual misconduct by multiple women in the early days of the #MeToo reckoning of 2017. While Ratner has denied all of the allegations and no charges were brought against him, he was dropped from his agency and hasn’t worked on a major Hollywood project in nearly a decade.
It does seem as though Ratner always had a friend in the president-elect; Ratner’s 2011 movie “Tower Heist” was filmed on Trump-owned properties and Trump visited the set at least once, according to Variety.
More recently, The Daily Beast reported that Ratner’s been posting photos to his Instagram from Palm Beach, Florida, where the Trumps are staying before they relocate to Washington, D.C.
Melania has always been an enigmatic figure whose motivations are somewhat unclear. While she skipped nearly all of her husband’s 2024 campaign events, she’s been far more visible as of late. In October, for instance, she released her best-selling memoir, “Melania.”
Still, it’s unclear why she’s working with the disgraced director—and how much she’ll get paid for her contributions. If anything, it’s probably a more lucrative deal than grifting Christmas ornaments on Fox News. Expect an honest (and likely scathing) review from Daily Kos once the documentary hits theaters and Prime Video in the second half of 2025.
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