Story perspectives

Amazon Spends $75M on Melania Doc, Faces Bribery Claims

5/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

Amazon MGM paid $75 million for the “Melania” documentary, which earned $16.6 million.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said the purchase was a business decision, denied involvement, and noted the film ranked seventh on Nielsen’s top-10 with 230 million minutes streamed.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Hank Johnson wrote on March 15 that the $75 million spend resembled bribery.
Amazon VP Brian Huseman replied on March 30 that the licensing resulted from a competitive bidding process.

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Story summary

Amazon MGM paid $75 million for the “Melania” documentary, which earned $16.6 million.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said the purchase was a business decision, denied involvement, and noted the film ranked seventh on Nielsen’s top-10 with 230 million minutes streamed.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Hank Johnson wrote on March 15 that the $75 million spend resembled bribery.
Amazon VP Brian Huseman replied on March 30 that the licensing resulted from a competitive bidding process.