Melania Trump’s documentary has been released, but several people associated with the film have already cut ties with it.
According to a Rolling Stone report, multiple crew members who worked on the project have requested that their names be removed from the credits.
While some are concerned about the propaganda element, others are just unhappy with how the film has shaped up. The movie, titled ‘Melania’, chronicles the first lady’s journey during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration as the president in January 2025.
MELANIA, the film, exclusively in theaters worldwide on January 30th, 2026. pic.twitter.com/n2kloQ4JwW
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) December 17, 2025
The production took place in New York, Florida, and Washington, D.C. The majority of the New York crew – around two-thirds of the members – have had their names removed from the credits.
The team made this decision despite working hard for long hours on the project. One anonymous production team member revealed, “People worked really hard. Really long hours, highly disorganized, very chaotic.”
Those who could not get their names deleted from the film in time are now regretting it. A crew member who will be credited in the movie has expressed concern about being associated with the project, given what has happened during Trump’s second presidency.
They said, “I’m much more alarmed now than I was a year ago.” For those of you who are expecting to see the first lady at her unfiltered best in the film, you might be disappointed, they added.
One crew member has revealed that the documentary might not fulfill its purpose, as “Some people are boring. Some people also never let their guard down.”
Then there are some production team members who, surprisingly, hope that the film does not attract a large audience. They would rather let the movie fail than risk many people finding out that they are connected to it. One of the members said, “Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it.”
The team did not even have a great experience making ‘Melania’, as one person claimed, “It was very difficult because of the chaos that was around everything… Usually [for a documentary] it’s like, ‘Oh, follow the subject.’ Well, it’s Melania Trump. With the first lady and Secret Service, you can’t just do things you usually do.”
I’m confused about why a documentary about Melania is even a thing. I can’t imagine a less important subject to be documented than the life of Melania Trump. Gold diggers are a dime a dozen and less interesting than my dog’s food dish. I’m just saying.
— Auntie Ifa Charitie Hartsig 🌷⚖️🌵 (@CharitieHartsig) January 20, 2026
The production team also had a hard time working under Brett Ratner, who is making his comeback as a director with ‘Melania’ after being ousted from Hollywood due to sexual assault allegations.
Crew members have described the director as “slimy” and labeled him unhygienic. One individual recalled, “He did actually chew a piece of gum and throw it in a coffee cup on my cart, [but] didn’t acknowledge my existence for even one nanosecond.”
Despite the concerns shown by crew members, both Melania and President Trump are excited for the film’s release. They have already held a private screening of the documentary at the White House and will screen it at the Kennedy Center on January 29, before the film hits theaters on January 30.
However, the buzz might not reflect in box-office numbers, as the movie has so far recorded low ticket sales. There is a lot at stake for distributor Amazon MGM Studios, which paid $40 million for the rights to the documentary and spent an additional $35 million for its marketing.
