According to Marc Beckman, producer of the documentary “Melania,” Prince’s estate blocked the use of the late musician’s songs in the documentary about the U.S. first lady. The film hit theaters in January and is expected to arrive on Prime Video later in 2026.
“I think Prince sold the rights to Primary Wave. And the people at Primary Wave said, ‘Oh yes, we’d be happy to grant you the rights to this Prince song,’” Beckman explained to Variety.
“But in this case, as I understand it, the deal was such that the estate now has to approve what Primary Wave does with it,” he continued.
“We were literally ready to move forward, and this lawyer who manages the estate said, ‘Prince would never have wanted his music to be associated with Donald Trump.’”
Beckman said he tried to explain that the film was not about Donald Trump and that he only appears in the documentary at certain moments, but the estate of the “Purple Rain” singer did not change its mind.
Beckman said they reiterated that it was not a film about Donald Trump and that he only appears occasionally in the documentary, but Prince’s estate did not change its position.
“It’s so ridiculous,” Beckman said about the episode.
The Melania documentary, simply titled “Melania,” chronicles the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration from the first lady’s perspective. The film was harshly criticized and received just an 11% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
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