‘A Part of the First Lady that Hasn’t Been Seen’
‘Melania’ docuseries is set to air in the fall. Plus, Jill Biden on a future woman president.
A Melania sequel promises to reveal even more about the enigmatic first lady less than a year after a feature film gave viewers an inside look at 20 days that led up to Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2025.
“We are launching a docuseries, which is a total different experience,” said Marc Beckman, a senior advisor to First Lady Melania Trump and an executive producer alongside Mrs. Trump on the film Melania during an interview on Real America’s Voice earlier this week.
The docuseries will air on Amazon Prime and will be “completely new,” noted Beckman. “It’s confirmed and I hope everyone tunes in because it’s going to show a part of the first lady that hasn’t been seen yet.”
The series will reportedly pick up from where the Amazon MGM Studios’ film left off showing what happens at the start of the second Trump administration.
Melania, directed by Brett Ratner, made Mrs. Trump the first sitting first lady to launch what was dubbed in the media a documentary, but then Trump, herself on opening night, said it was not a documentary, but rather “a creative experience that offers perspectives, insights and moments.”
The Melania endeavor had critics questioning Amazon’s relationship with the Trump administration given that the company has a number of federal contracts. Amazon paid $40 million to license the film, which includes the upcoming limited streaming series and $35 million to market it. The feature film brought in $7 million over its opening weekend and $16.7 million worldwide. When the film debuted in March on Prime Video it placed seventh in the top 10 of streaming movies in its first week. Additionally, reported USA Today, a financial disclosure released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics showed the Trumps earned $10.7 million in proceeds from the film’s license agreement.
Jill Biden on a Woman President: ‘Not in My Lifetime’
Still making the rounds with her book tour, former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden cast doubt on ever seeing a woman getting elected as president of the United States.
That’s what Dr. Biden shared with Kelly Ripa in her podcast “Let’s Talk Off Camera” earlier this week when she responded to Ripa’s question saying, “Well, I’m 75 … Probably not in my lifetime, Kelly, but maybe in yours.”
The former first lady, who released her memoir View from the East Wing earlier this summer, went on to say how she remains optimistic about a woman being elected to president of the United States because she believed that former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was going to win in 2024.
“I was out on the campaign trail for her, I saw the excitement and I saw the crowds … I saw all the energy and I thought, ‘finally,’” she said, adding she was “shocked” the morning after when she woke up and found out Harris had lost.
President Joe Biden exited the race on July 21, 2024, in a prime-time, televised address from the Oval Office explaining his decision after mounting pressure from members of his own party in the wake of a poor performance in the presidential debate against Donald Trump.
During the interview, Dr. Biden also shared her thoughts on supporting her son, Hunter, through his addiction and how the death of the Bidens’ son, Beau, affected his recovery journey. Since the Bidens’ left the White House, Hunter Biden has stepped into the spotlight talking freely about his addiction and his life since becoming sober seven years ago.
Dr. Biden believes that the death of Beau Biden exacerbated Hunter’s addiction and admitted it was hard for her to understand addiction as an illness, especially because he had a good education, came from a good family and “he couldn’t be more loved.”
“You tend to look at yourself and think what did I do wrong?” the former first lady said, reflecting on how hard it was when he was in the throes of his illness. Now, though, she says her son talks openly about addiction on his podcast and it’s helping others in a very real way. “He turned his life around, but it wasn’t easy.”
Listen to the full conversation on Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa.
The Weekly Wrap
The Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
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