Jimmy Kimmel has accused Melania Trump of inflating the box office numbers from her new documentary by giving out free tickets.
The film, Melania , follows the first lady in the 20 days leading up to her husband Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration in January 2025.
The documentary, marred by controversy due to damaging accusations against director Brett Ratner, exceeded box office expectations and earned more than $7 million in US theaters during its opening weekend, as per Variety .
- Jimmy Kimmel accused Melania Trump’s documentary box office numbers of being rigged through free ticket giveaways.
- ‘Melania’ grossed over $7 million in its opening weekend against a $75 million budget.
- Most moviegoers were women over 45, with strong turnout in red cities where Trump is popular.
Jimmy Kimmel seated at a desk during a nighttime talk show discussing Melania Trump rigged documentary accusations.
Jimmy Kimmel has slammed Melania Trump’s documentary, claiming box office numbers were “rigged”
The outlet reported that the figure was “a huge start for a documentary,” especially one that does not involve music.
However, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host believes the figures do not accurately reflect the public interest in Melania’s life.
Melania Trump wearing a white coat and black gloves, smiling and clapping during a nighttime outdoor event.
He claimed that the box office numbers were “rigged” and that the $7 million figure is “a fancy way of saying it only lost tens of millions of dollars.”
“A lot of people, myself included, have been wondering how this movie managed to sell $7 million worth of tickets last weekend when almost every theater was deemed to be empty leading up to the release,” Kimmel said on Wednesday (February 4).
Promotional poster for Melania Trump documentary Melania twenty days to history releasing January 30 in theaters.
The documentary reportedly exceeded expectations, earning $7 million during its opening weekend
The late-night host highlighted reports that the “beautiful box office numbers” are the result of “bulk ticket purchases that were handed out to people for free.”
“You may be forgetting that back in 2019, the Republican National Committee bought $100,000 worth of Don Jr.’s book to put in swag bags to make it a New York Times bestseller,” Kimmel said.
He referenced an article reporting that the RNC had spent nearly $100,000 on copies of the book by Trump’s eldest child.
Jimmy Kimmel speaking on stage in a suit, making bombshell accusations about Melania Trump documentary rigging.
Jimmy Kimmel delivering monologue about Melania Trump rigged documentary and reported box office boost claims.
Comment on a social media post referencing Jimmy Kimmel and Melania Trump rigged documentary discussion.
“Don Jr.’s book debuted number one on the New York Times bestseller list despite the fact that no one has ever read it,” Kimmel said, making the audience laugh.
“Sources say that blocks of tickets to Melania were purchased and then distributed to Republican activists.”
The TV star, who has been hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, also joked about the first lady’s documentary on Monday (February 2).
Melania Trump wearing sunglasses inside a private plane, relating to Jimmy Kimmel’s accusations about rigged documentary.
Melaniamoviegoers were mostly older white women, according toVariety
He described the figure as a “new record,” adding, “It was the biggest opening for a non-musical-vanity-project-slash-brazen-corporate-bribe in 10 years.”
Referring to reports about the film’s demographic, he quipped, “Imagine those poor senior citizens. Good morning, Mrs. Greenwald. Here are your heart pills and here are your liver pills. And here’s a pair of tickets to Melania .
“To be fair, some people actually did go see the movie, including this group who call themselves the Church Ladies.”
Comment by Bill Quillen discussing Snopes and a $50 online offer for attendees related to Melania Trump rigged documentary.
Melania Trump documentary ticket screen showing available seats for 2026 film preview event.
Screenshot of a comment discussing low attendance despite $7 million in tickets sold for Melania Trump’s rigged documentary.
According to Variety , the film placed at No. 3 on domestic box office charts, behind Sam Raimi’s survival thriller Send Help and YouTube creator Markiplier’s Iron Lung .
Nearly 75% of audiences were white, with the documentary achieving greater success in Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, and West Palm Beach, cities where the president is popular.
Melania Trump speaking at a podium with blue background, related to accusations about rigged documentary.
The film reportedly cost over $70 million to make and promote, making it the most expensive documentary in the world
Comment by Justin Wright discussing a romantic gesture related to paying for tickets, with emojis expressing laughter.
Still, David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, believes the company has made a “political investment, not a for-profit movie venture.”
Many crew members allegedly requested not to be credited in the documentary
. @realDonaldTrump your Melania movie has bombed pic.twitter.com/jKgfdFSDc9 — Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) January 30, 2026
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