First lady Melania Trump says viewers will hear answers to questions she has never publicly addressed when a new two-part docuseries about her life arrives later this year.
Trump discussed the upcoming project during a Wednesday appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying the series is expected to be released around November and will differ significantly from her feature-length documentary, “Melania.”
“It will be very different from what is in the movie,” Trump said. “It’s more conversation, one-on-one with me.”
She said director Brett Ratner interviewed her extensively while cameras followed her during production, including asking questions that went beyond what ultimately appeared in the film.
“There are some private questions that I will answer that people have never heard before,” she said, describing the project as “kind of exciting.”
The upcoming series expands Amazon MGM Studios’ investment in programming centered on the first lady. Her documentary “Melania” opened in theaters on Jan. 30 before becoming available on Prime Video in March. The movie followed Trump during the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
The film’s reception was sharply divided.
Professional critics overwhelmingly disliked it. As of Wednesday, “Melania” held a 9% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its verified audience score stood at 99% — an unusually large gap between reviewers and moviegoers. Metacritic similarly lists overwhelmingly negative professional reviews.
Its box-office performance was more complicated than some early descriptions suggested.
According to Box Office Mojo, “Melania” ultimately grossed about $16.66 million worldwide, including roughly $16.36 million in the United States. Amazon itself noted that the movie delivered the largest opening for a documentary in roughly a decade when music and concert films are excluded.
But those ticket sales were still modest compared with what Amazon reportedly spent on the project.
Reuters reported that Amazon MGM Studios paid approximately $40 million for rights connected to “Melania” and committed another $35 million toward global promotion and distribution. That makes the often-cited $75 million figure broader than a traditional production budget and means it should not be compared directly with theatrical ticket sales alone.
Ratner directed the documentary and served as a producer alongside Melania Trump, Fernando Sulichin and Marc Beckman.
Trump’s television appearance came as the White House prepared for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington.
The White House said President Trump would personally greet Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before the formal state arrival ceremony at the White House on Thursday. The visit is scheduled to run through Friday.
Melania Trump said she had been closely involved in preparations for the visit, including Thursday’s state dinner.
“There are a lot of details that go into planning the state dinner,” she said. “There is a protocol that you need to follow.”
The first lady also said she planned to accompany Peng on visits in Washington while the two presidents hold talks.
The White House confirmed that Trump and Melania will host the formal arrival ceremony Thursday, while Xi’s visit is expected to include discussions covering the U.S.-China relationship and major economic and geopolitical issues.
Melania Trump has generally kept a lower public profile than many recent first ladies, making the promise of more personal questioning a central selling point for the upcoming series.
For now, an exact November premiere date has not been publicly announced.
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