The Daily Show‘s Desi Lydic has taken aim at first lady Melania Trump’s awkward movie press tour.
Melania’s documentary film, titled Melania, has been skewered by other late-night hosts for its cheesy trailer and its uninspiring box office projections. With the movie premiering nationwide on Friday, Lydic focused on the chaotic press tour Melania has run on the film’s behalf.
“We’re seeing Melania all over Fox News doing interviews,“ Lydic said, ”And they’ve been asking her fascinating questions."
She showed a montage of Fox News journalists asking Melania softball questions. The final clip showed Dana Perino, co-host of The Five, asking Melania what her favorite time of the day was.
Lydic mockingly responded in a Melania impression, “I was told there’d be no gotcha questions.”
Lydic wasn’t too angry at Fox News for the softballs, however, because as she noted, “Melania’s not really giving them a lot to work with.”
She showed a clip of Fox host Maria Bartiromo asking Melania where the score for her movie comes from, only for Melania to awkwardly respond, “It’s specially made for the movie.”
“Wow, the original score for this movie was made for this movie, you say?” Lydic replied. “And did they hit record when they were filming? Oh, how wonderful. Well, here’s $40 million.”
Lydic also showed a clip of Melania saying the film will cover her “establishing the East Wing” of the White House, a section of the building that has already been destroyed for Trump’s ballroom project.
“Is this whole movie just her talking about things that she loves that are no longer here?” Lydic asked.
Breaking into another Melania impression, Lydic joked, “Oh, my passions: decorating the East Wing, chatting with Dilbert creator Scott Adams.”
Lydic repeatedly affirmed the popular theory that the documentary, which Amazon paid $40 million for and which Melania herself received $28 million from, was a bribe.
Pretending as if she couldn’t figure the puzzle out, Lydic asked, “Why would Jeff Bezos, a billionaire who has tons of business with a government run by a famously corrupt president known for loving bribes, overpay for a Melania documentary? Hmm...”
When quizzed by reporters at the fim premiere on Thursday night surrounding the theory, the president seemingly threw his wife under the bus. “No, I don’t know, I mean, I don’t know really, I’m not involved in that. That was done with my wife.”
Lydic was soon joined by Daily Show correspondents Michael Kosta and Ronny Chieng, who offered their sarcastic takes on the documentary. Chieng surprised Lydic by singing the film’s praises, only to soon reveal that Jeff Bezos paid him $40 million to do so.
Kosta tried to take a principled stand against the film, saying, “Cinema is an art that should not be compromised.”
As Chieng started handing him money, however, Kosta changed his tune.
“Which is why I strongly recommend Melania," he added. “It’s truly a masterpiece.”
