Jeff Bezos was forced to speak up after dropping millions on the documentary. MEGA
Jeff Bezos had to answer his own journalists over his reported decision to drop $75million to reel in Melania Trump‘s documentary, which didn’t fare well at the box office, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Amazon billionaire hosted a group of Washington Post editors and reporters for lunch at his Washington, D.C., mansion on Thursday, March 12, but was quickly met with angry workers.
Jezz Bezos Claims It Was a ‘Hands-off’ Deal
Bezos claimed he ‘wasn’t involved’ with the ‘Melania’ movie purchase.MEGA
According to sources with knowledge of what went down at the secret meeting, Bezos had to respond to brutal questions, including the mega-movie deal, cutting down the staff at the iconic publication, and whether the world’s second-richest man is trying to get chummy with President Trump.
“One staffer asked Bezos pointedly whether Amazon’s involvement with Melania Trump’s documentary was an effort to curry favor with the Trump administration,” an insider told Status. “Bezos denied that assertion, growing defensive and insisting that it was a ‘hands-off’ deal that he wasn’t involved in personally.”
While the Melania movie, which was directed by disgraced director Brett Ratner, wasn’t exactly a hit, Bezos is said to have told his upset staff he still stands to see a return on his investment.
The documentary was mercilessly mocked and was labeled “embarrassing” for having its own themed popcorn bucket.
‘Movie Star’ Melania?
The billionaire is said to have paid $75million for the First Lady’s documentary.MEGA
The film was not well received, except by the MAGA crowd and the president, who drooled over his wife and boasted, “She’s got the biggest… Can you believe this? That movie was hot, and it is hot. She became a movie star… It was a good movie.”
Meanwhile, Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany, who served as Trump’s White House press secretary in 2020 and 2021, claimed the movie deserved to win an Oscar.
“If she were to go (to the Academy Awards), she would be the best dressed and the classiest dressed by a long shot,” McEnany revealed at the time.
However, not everyone shared the same sentiment, especially Trump rival Jimmy Kimmel, who called out Bezos for his purchase.
$75Million ‘Bribe’
The film was mocked, and didn’t fare well at the box office.MEGA
According to the writer Michael Wolff, Melania is bigly upset that the murders in Minneapolis are overshadowing the release of the $75 million bribe – I mean, ‘documentary’ – that Amazon made for her,” the late-night host said, referring to the deaths of civilians Alex Pretti and Renée Good after being shot by ICE.
The funnyman continued: “[ICE protester] Alex Pretti was killed on Saturday, the same day they had a VIP screening of the movie at the White House. Now, when she’s promoting her film, she has to answer questions about it.”
Kimmel then poked fun at Melania for claiming her husband “loved” the film: “He said, ‘must watch.'”
The 58-year-old joked, “For him, it is a must-watch, not for us. My guess is he saw the first eight minutes and fell asleep in his popcorn bucket … Her son (Barron) and her husband liked it. All the people in the movie are giving it rave reviews – that’s enough for me.”
The Amazon boss denied the movie purchase was to get in President Trump’s good graces.MEGA
As for Bezos, some still believe the $75million he is believed to have dropped on the film was all about getting closer to Trump.
Ted Hope, a former Amazon film executive, previously said, “This has to be the most expensive documentary ever made that didn’t involve music licensing. How can it not be equated with currying favor or an outright bribe?”
Meanwhile, one senior media analyst said, “From a business standpoint, it looks irrational. From a political standpoint, it looks calculated.”
