On Trump’s Inauguration Day in January 2025, Melania Trump was wearing a relatively wide hat, and the internet spiraled. Then an old conspiracy theory came back to our timelines, which says that the first lady has been replaced by a body double. And now, with Amazon’s new Melania documentary in theaters, that rumor is back.
The Amazon-backed documentary was released worldwide on January 30. It follows Melania Trump during the 20 days that led up to Donald Trump‘s second inauguration. The film shows business deals and the reality of moving back into the White House.
Yet the release has renewed chatter about Melania herself. What’s worse is that the film revisits the inauguration that reignited the conspiracy theory in the first place.
On that day, Melania was spotted donning a dark, tailored outfit with a wide-brimmed hat designed by Eric Javits, paired with an ensemble by Adam Lippes. The brim was tilted at an angle that made her critics suspicious.
So since Melania’s Documentary is a Dud and nobody is buying tickets to see it at the Kennedy Center or anywhere else so they’re Four walling it which is where the distributor buys up all the seats so it looks like they were sold out when they weren’t at all! Desperate! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4hKKHZMFtr
— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) January 22, 2026
So, social media users dissected her jawline and ears, joking that she looked like Zorro or the Hamburglar. Others are reviving claims that Melania had “left Trump years ago” and that her stand-in appears at public events. A few insisted the hat was intentional for that very reason.
Despite the lack of any objective evidence, posts on X insisted the woman under the hat simply couldn’t be her. Versions of Melania’s body-double have floated around since Trump’s first term, mostly when Melania appeared more distant or had on sunglasses.
Experts have repeatedly debunked the theory, but it continues to circulate.
Adding to that, the documentary struggled theatrically. According to cinema chain Vue, advance ticket sales were “soft,” and some screenings were selling only a handful of seats. In one case, just one ticket was sold.
Melania’s film is a flop! The theatres are only selling an average of 10 seats per screening! 😂 pic.twitter.com/tz6ewntikO
— Annie (@AnnieForTruth) January 21, 2026
Insiders raised questions about whether the strategy was to be “four-walling,” which means that distributors effectively rent screens, regardless of turnout. Jeff Bezos‘ Amazon reportedly paid $40 million for the rights and is spending tens of millions more on global marketing.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump insists tickets are “selling out, FAST!”
NEXT UP: Melania Trump’s Documentary Premiere Falls Flat As Netizens Throw “Fake Couple” Jibe
