Coming to Amazon Prime: A Puzzling Melania Trump Documentary

Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

When it comes to Melania Trump, the perennial question is: What is she thinking? The once-and-future First Lady’s latest puzzling move was revealed on Sunday, when Amazon announced that Prime Video will release a documentary about Melania in the second half of 2025, in theaters and on the streaming service. The “behind-the-scenes look” at Melania’s life is being directed by Brett Ratner, who was “canceled” following sexual harassment and misconduct allegations in 2017.

While the way Melania engages with the public has always been unpredictable, it isn’t all that shocking that she’s partnering with the Jeff Bezos–founded company on a film project. Though she skipped nearly all of Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, Melania has been far more visible since October, when she released her best-selling memoir. And while Bezos clashed with Trump during his first term, he’s been a prominent part of Silicon Valley’s kowtowing to Trump 2.0. In recent months, Bezos (who stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 but is still the company’s executive chairman and biggest shareholder) has praised Trump, killed the Washington Post’s Kamala Harris endorsement, donated to the Trump inaugural fund, and dined with the president-elect (and Melania) at Mar-a-Lago.

What is quite strange is the selection of Ratner to direct. He directed and produced multiple blockbuster films, including the Rush Hour film series, Red Dragon, and X-Men: The Last Stand. But he hasn’t worked on a major Hollywood production since six women accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct in a 2017 Los Angeles Times exposé. In the piece, actress Natasha Henstridge claimed Ratner forced her to perform oral sex, and Olivia Munn said the director masturbated in front of her when she went to deliver food to his trailer. Ratner denied all of the allegations, and no charges were brought against him. But he was dropped by his agency, and since then his attempts at a comeback have failed.

So why did Melania, who is an executive producer on the film, decide to work with Ratner when so many in Hollywood have refused to welcome him back? As a self-described “cancel culture” victim, does she identify with Ratner? Is she a huge X-Men fan? Was she unable to find any other big names willing to be associated with the MAGA movement? Has Ratner struck up a friendship with the Trump family? Semafor’s Ben Smith reported:

One person who spoke to Semafor said they’d been surprised that Ratner, who reportedly lives in Israel now, had recently been seen at Mar-a-Lago. Last year, he and US President-elect Donald Trump were reportedly among the guests at the wedding of the son of businessman Al Malnik, who is close to Ratner.

For now, Melania’s reasons for agreeing to work with Ratner are a mystery, much like her financial incentives. Smith also reported, “Amazon didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry as to whether the Trump family or organization is being compensated for participating in the film.” We may never get an answer, but presumably making a film with Amazon pays a lot better than hawking ugly jewelry and NFTs online.