'Salty' Jimmy Kimmel Mocked After ‘Melania’ Box Office Numbers Theory

Jimmy Kimmel is raising eyebrows over the surprisingly strong box office numbers for the new Melania Trump movie, openly questioning whether the ticket sales were actually legit. During his Wednesday night monologue, the 58-year-old late-night host said he wasn’t buying the idea that the film genuinely pulled in around $7 million during its opening weekend, especially when, according to him, theaters appeared largely empty in the days leading up to its release.

Kimmel pointed to recent reporting that first surfaced in a Substack post by former IndieWire editor Tom Brueggemann and later gained traction through Puck. The reports suggested that the impressive ticket haul may not have come from organic audiences at all.

“A lot of people, myself included, have been wondering how this movie managed to sell millions of dollars’ worth of tickets when almost no one seemed to be there,” Kimmel told his audience, framing the claims as part of a growing wave of industry skepticism.

He then reminded viewers that this wouldn’t exactly be uncharted territory, referencing a 2019 incident in which the Republican National Committee reportedly purchased large quantities of Donald Trump Jr.’s book to help push it onto The New York Times bestseller list. “If you think this kind of thing doesn’t happen, you might want to refresh your memory," he said.

According to industry sources cited in Brueggemann’s reporting, there were indications that blocks of tickets were bought in bulk and then handed out for free, allegedly to senior living facilities, Republican activists, and other sympathetic groups, in an effort to inflate attendance numbers.

Kimmel, clearly amused, joked about the supposed beneficiaries of the giveaway. “Imagine those poor seniors,” he said. “‘Here’s your morning meds… and by the way, here are two tickets to 'Melania.’”

He also couldn’t resist poking fun at the overlap between the groups allegedly receiving the tickets, quipping that Republican activists and senior citizens are “basically the same demographic.”

While conceding that some people did, in fact, show up voluntarily, Kimmel highlighted a photo of women from a Dallas megachurch who attended a screening dressed in matching outfits modeled after the First Lady’s inauguration look, a moment prominently featured in the film. The group reportedly refers to themselves as “church ladies.”

Kimmel had his own nickname for them. “The rest of us call them the dumb-as-a-rockettes," he joked.

Kimmel’s remarks quickly sparked backlash online, with critics accusing the late-night host of political bias and bitterness. In the comments section of Daily Mail’s report, readers overwhelmingly pushed back on Jimmy Kimmel, accusing him of bitterness and political bias.

“This guy is such a jealous, disgusting, hateful soul,” one commenter wrote, calling Kimmel a “typical Dem” and arguing that the film’s box office performance could simply reflect genuine interest in Melania Trump. “She’s the First Lady of the US!! Maybe people actually respect her or want to hear her story,” the user added, blasting Kimmel for what they described as preachy commentary.

Others framed the situation as a ratings rivalry. “Wow, someone’s salty that his late-night syndicated show pumped into houses across the country has fewer viewers than a ticket-per-seat personal profile documentary,” one reader sniped. “That’s gotta hurt.”

Several comments were even more blunt. “Man oh man, he is such a downer, make that a constant downer,” one person wrote, while another dismissed the monologue outright, asking, “He cryin’ again? Such a loser.”

While Kimmel faced plenty of backlash, he also found support from commenters who said his skepticism wasn’t far-fetched at all, and that the box office success raised legitimate questions.

Some pointed to the film’s performance outside the U.S. as evidence. “It’s ONLY a success over there,” one commenter wrote. “In Britain and Australia, they were lucky to sell 10 seats in total lol.”

Others argued that bulk-buy tactics aren’t exactly unheard of. “It’s not a conspiracy. It’s common practice,” another user commented. “Trump bought Don Jr.’s books because sales were bad. Same thing.”

Several responses were even more blunt, tying their doubts to the Trump brand itself. “Considering everything with the Trump name lies all the time, it’s more than likely the same thing here,” one person wrote, adding they couldn’t imagine widespread interest in the subject. Another commenter dismissed the film outright, writing, “Of course it’s rigged.”

Kimmel’s jokes also come amid fresh controversy surrounding the film itself. Earlier this week, Amazon Studios pulled "Melania" from a suburban Oregon movie theater after a series of marquee messages sparked backlash.

The Lake Theater & Café in Lake Oswego, outside Portland, announced it would no longer screen the documentary after Amazon intervened. The decision followed several marquee promotions poking fun at the film, including “Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday!” and another quoting Sun Tzu, “To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Melania.”

Directed by Brett Ratner, "Melania" follows the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.