‘MELANIA’ PRODUCER: REQUEST TO TAKE DOWN MUSIC ‘RIDICULOUS’

“Melania” producer Marc Beckman defended the documentary’s use of music from the 2017 film “Phantom Thread,” after the film’s director, Paul Thomas Anderson, and composer, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, said the documentary used the music without their approval. 

“It’s a blatant lie,” Beckman told Breitbart News on Monday. “We have a legal right and permission to use every song and piece of music in the film. We have the legal rights to use it. We’ve done everything the right way. We followed protocol. We respect artists. We compensated everyone for their music.”

Greenwood, who composed “Barbara Rose” for the 2018 Oscar-winning film, said use of the music was a breach of his composer agreement, Variety reported Monday. 

In a joint statement by Greenwood and Anderson’s representative, they said, “It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the ‘Melania’ documentary,” Variety reported. “While Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on this third-party use which is a breach of his composer agreement. As a result Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”

“Melania,” which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington in January, offers a close-up into the first lady’s life and chronicles the first lady’s 20 days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration last year.

Melania Trump served as an executive producer on the $40 million project from Amazon MGM Studios, with $35 million used to advertise the film. The documentary has also faced harsh criticism from viewers. 

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2026-02-12T22:37:10Z