Brett Ratner, the man behind Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary, is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
As past allegations of sexual misconduct from 2017 resurface, Ratner’s involvement in the film Melania, set for release on Jan. 30, is stirring up a storm that threatens to eclipse the story of the first lady herself, as the Daily Mail reports.
Let’s rewind to 2017, when the #MeToo movement was shaking Hollywood to its core. Ratner, then a big-name director, was accused by six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, of serious misconduct ranging from harassment to inappropriate touching and worse. The claims, detailed in a Los Angeles Times exposé, painted a troubling picture.
Ratner, now 56, has always denied these accusations, and no charges were ever filed. Still, the whispers turned to shouts that year when Hawaii resident Melanie Kohler accused him of rape.
Fast forward to 2023, and actress Rebecca Romijn added fuel to the fire, speaking out about her deep dissatisfaction working with Ratner on X-Men: The Last Stand back in 2006. She didn’t hold back, saying, "I was not happy working with him," as reported by The Independent.
Now, after a decade away from directing, Ratner has landed the gig of a lifetime with Melania, a documentary that reportedly fetched a hefty $40 million from a streamer, according to Puck’s Matthew Belloni. But the baggage he brings is weighing down the project before it even hits screens.
Enter Alyssa Farah Griffin, who didn’t mince words on a recent episode of The View, pointing out the elephant in the room. "What bothered me about this doc, the director has been accused of sexual misconduct by many prominent actors," she said.
Farah Griffin, 36, went further, stating, "He denies all allegations, but I wouldn't, as a staffer, put the first lady in a position of working with somebody who had that history." Her hesitation to even watch the film speaks volumes about the PR headache this creates.
Interestingly, a source told Masters that Melania Trump herself is a fan of Ratner, partly because he’s been “canceled” by the Hollywood elite. There’s a certain irony here -- aligning with someone shunned by the progressive crowd could be seen as a middle finger to the woke establishment.
Ratner was granted unprecedented access to the Trump White House, spending over 30 days filming, per a source familiar with the production. That kind of “unfettered” entry is rare, and it’s no surprise that Secret Service agents were reportedly uneasy about his controversial background, as noted in a February report.
The documentary’s hefty price tag and Ratner’s access suggest high stakes for all involved. Yet, one can’t help but question if this was the best choice for a project meant to highlight Melania Trump’s legacy.
From a conservative lens, this situation reeks of the double standards often pushed by the left-leaning media. Ratner’s allegations are serious, but the rush to condemn without charges feels like the same cancel culture conservatives often decry.
Still, optics are everything in politics and entertainment. Associating with someone carrying this much baggage risks alienating even sympathetic viewers who might otherwise be eager to see Melania’s perspective. It’s a needless distraction from what could be a compelling narrative.
At the end of the day, Ratner’s past isn’t going away, and neither is the scrutiny. The question remains whether "Melania" can rise above the controversy or if it will be remembered more for its director’s scandals than its subject’s story.
For now, Jan. 30 can’t come soon enough -- or perhaps, for some, too soon.