Melania Trump's Reported Paycheck for Her Amazon Documentary Is Eye-Opening

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On Sunday, Jan. 5, Amazon announced that they were going into business with Melania Trump with a documentary, giving viewers a look at the incoming first lady’s very private life. Not only will Melania be an executive producer, but she also received a very hefty paycheck for access to her privileged world.

Puck News is calling the project a “vanity documentary” that is reportedly paying her $40 million for licensing, according to the media outlet’s sources. The project will be directed by Brett Ratner, who has been somewhat of an outsider in Hollywood after his 2018 sexual misconduct accusations that he’s denied. Melania and Ratner will be working together for quite some time because it’s not just a one-off documentary.

“That price includes the Ratner documentary, which will get a small theatrical release and then appear on Prime Video, plus a previously undisclosed two-to-three-episode follow-up docuseries on the first lady. Melania will participate in both projects,” per Puck News. According to The New York Times, production began in December 2024.

The other surprising news is that Amazon wasn’t the only steaming network to bid on the project. Disney and Paramount also tried to get their hands on the project, according to Puck News. This is a big change of strategy for Melania, who tried to keep out of the public eye as much as possible during Donald Trump’s first term. Even though she wasn’t out on the campaign trail much in 2024, she made sure to promote her memoir, Melania, during that time.

Melania reportedly felt unwelcome by Washington, D.C. insiders the first time Donald Trump was in office. “She tried but was attacked — everything, her shoes, her hair,” the source told The Times in April 2024. “The microscope is so intense. The sunglasses she wears all the time are her shield.” She doesn’t love the political life, but it sounds like she’s happy to profit off the public — and some players in Hollywood are scrambling to work with her.

Only time will tell if her association with the controversial Ratner becomes an issue, but so far, Melania is moving ahead with her very Hollywood project.

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