Jimmy Kimmel ripped into the documentary “Melania” this week, sneering at its $7 million debut which he claimed was “rigged”
His scathing monologue came after the film scored a record opening for a non-musical documentary in the last decade.
“That’s just a fancy way of saying it only lost tens of millions of dollars,” he claimed during his monologue.
His comments came in response to a Substack post by former IndieWire Editor Tom Brueggemann, who reported speculation about unusual ticket buying patterns.
NEW: Jimmy Kimmel suggests the ticket sales for the new Melania movie may have been “RIGGED”
“Speaking of rigged outcomes… Well, there are reports now suggesting that those beautiful box office numbers may have been boosted by bulk ticket purchases that were handed out to… pic.twitter.com/QGyixWcBQS
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) February 5, 2026
“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 seemed to be empty leading up to the release,” Kimmel remarked.
“And if you don’t believe this is the kind of thing they would do, 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,” he cited.
In his article, Brueggemann said that there “were signs that blocs of tickets were purchased for the weekend, then distributed to senior citizen homes, Republican activists, other interested parties for free to help boost audiences.”
Jimmy Kimmel thinks the "Melania' documentary should have swapped titles with a horror movie that's also out this weekend. pic.twitter.com/TtTXWcanI8
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) January 29, 2026
“Imagine those poor senior citizens, ‘Good morning, Mrs Greenwald. Here your your heart pills and here are your liver pills. And uh here’s a pair of tickets to Melania,’” Kimmel quipped.
He described Republican activists and senior citizens as “really the same thing” during the segment.
But Kimmel admitted that “some people actually did go to see the movie,” while displaying a photo of Dallas megachurch congregants wearing dresses modeled after Melania’s attire from the inauguration, which was featured in the film.
He mocked the women for calling themselves church ladies and sneered, “The rest of us call them the dumb as a rockettes.”
He noted that the film had a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes, saying, “To put that in perspective, that is 1 percent lower than ‘Gigli.’”
Kimmel pointed out that the audience score stood at 99 percent, joking it was “1 percent higher than The Godfather.”
“And I’m sure Donald J Corleone had nothing to do with that at all,” he declared. “We need to get to the bottom of this.”
Amazon MGM Studios touted the box office outcome as exceeding expectations and reflecting a strong early turnout for the documentary release.
Numbers confirmed the opening weekend generated $7 million after premiering on January 29, surpassing predictions that had placed potential revenue far lower.
Analysts noted turnout leaned heavily toward older women in a rare pattern for theatrical releases dominated by younger audiences.
Observations from industry research revealed, “This older, female audience admires and looks up to Melania as a role model,” according to reporting on attendance trends.
Demographic breakdowns showed ticket buyers were 72 percent women and 83 percent over age 45, illustrating a distinct audience mix behind the early revenue burst.
Context surrounding the project highlighted the documentary’s focus on first lady Melania Trump during the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Director Brett Ratner reflected on the opportunity and access he was granted during filming.
“I mean, the validation was undeniable, but honestly, I felt like I won just when Melania called me and asked me to direct the film,” he told Fox News.
“When I saw the president for the first time, and after I was hired, I said to him, ‘that bullet that missed you, I think was a divine intervention,’” while recounting the experience. “He said, ‘Yeah, I think you’re right.’”
“That was my divine intervention. So, for me, I got to pinch myself. I mean, the access that they gave me, the opportunity that they gave me was just beyond my wildest imagination. So, I already felt like I won,” Ratner concluded.
The box office results didn’t come without a dose of liberal drama, with a theater in Oregon claiming that Amazon requested it stop screening after promotional jokes appeared on the venue’s marquee.
Marketing lines referencing Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” and “The Devil Wears Prada” triggered the backlash.
“Got a call that the higher ups (i.e., at Amazon) were upset with how our marquee marketed their movie (i.e., Melania), that, per them, Sunday would be its last day here,” the theater posted on social media.
The venue followed by swapping signage with commentary reading, “Amazon called, our marquee made them mad. All Melania shows canceled. Show your support at Whole Foods instead :(” after the film was removed.
Meanwhile, Trump-hating comic Kathy Griffin launched her own attack on the film.
“So, first of all, I call Melania ‘Melanie.’ I don’t know why, but I think it bothers her,” she began. “Melanie is not the first lady that the Trumpers will have you think she is.”
“Can I just remind you, not only are there nude pics of her — which is like, OK big deal — but they’re like beaver-hunt level, and she’s holding a gun, and this is our classy FLOTUS?”
She blasted Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for funding “some kind of bulls**t documentary about her.”
“And by the way, Melania is complicit as well. So don’t think she’s this innocent, abused housewife,” she ranted.
“She is down for all of the Nazi-leaning stuff. She’s all in with the loving Putin and all that. So, don’t be fooled.”
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 5, 2026
Sen. Bernie Sanders chimed in by tying the layoffs at a major newspaper to the film’s financing arrangement.
“If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don’t tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy,” Sanders posted.
The paper shocked staffers by laying off 700 employees on Wednesday.