Old sexual harassment allegations against director of Melania Trumps new movie resurface

The director of Melania Trump‘s upcoming documentary is back in the spotlight as past sexual misconduct allegations against him have resurfaced.

Brett Ratner was once considered one of Hollywood’s most in-demand directors, but was caught up in the #MeToo movement in 2017 when a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed that six women – including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge – had accused him of sexual misconduct.

Ratner, 56, denied the allegations ‘categorically’ at the time and was never charged.

After being out of work for several years, the shunned star is now gearing up for the release of his documentary, Melania, on January 30 – but not without the allegations coming back to haunt him.

Alyssa Farah Griffin brought the allegations back into the public sphere during a conversation about the upcoming film on The View.

Speaking on Thursday’s episode of the ABC talk show, she implied that the claims about Ratner overshadow the 55-year-old First Lady’s project.

She said: ‘What bothered me about this doc, the director has been accused of sexual misconduct by many prominent actors.

‘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. It’s a distraction from it.

Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary was directed by Brett Ratner

Ratner was caught up in the #MeToo movement in 2017 when a Los AngelesTimes exposé revealed that six women had accused him of sexual misconduct. He denied all allegations.

‘That makes me on the cusp of even wanting to watch it.’

Despite her comments, Farah Griffin, 36, did say that she would consider watching the documentary when it arrives on streaming.

In 2017, Ratner was accused of an array of acts, including harassment, inappropriate touching and forced oral sex. He denied all allegations.

His attorney said at the time: ‘Brett Ratner vehemently denies the outrageous derogatory allegations that have been reported about him, and we are confident that his name will be cleared once the current media frenzy dies down and people can objectively evaluate the nature of these claims.’

Besides the allegations that arose during the #MeToo movement, Ratner was also accused of rape by Hawaii resident Melanie Kohler in 2017.

The law firm representing Ratner told DailyMail.com at the time: ‘Mr Ratner does not know Ms Kohler and does not recall ever meeting her.

‘From the beginning, Mr. Ratner has denied Ms Kohler’s allegations of sexual assault. In fact, after Ms Kohler published her allegations in the media, Mr Ratner sued her for defamation in federal court in Hawaii, where she resides.’

Ratner launched a defamation case against Kohler after she made the allegations public, but he dropped it one year later in 2018.

Alyssa Farah Griffin said Ratner’s involvement in the documentary doesn’t sit well with her

Ratner had not directed a project for a decade when he was tapped for the Melania doc

In 2023, Rebecca Romijn claimed she had major issues with Ratner while working on X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006.

The actress ‘didn’t feel’ she needed to speak up about her #MeToo experiences but admitted she had problems with two filmmakers she has worked with, one of whom was her X-Men: The Last Stand director.

She told The Independent: ‘I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus… Except for Brett Ratner.

‘I was not happy working with him. But he’s been canceled. I haven’t spoken up about anything with regard to #MeToo, because I had two major issues with two directors I’ve worked with – and both of them already got theirs, one of them being Brett Ratner.

‘I kind of just… I didn’t feel like I needed to say anything. I know the two people that I worked with had it coming, and they got theirs.’

She added: ‘I’m not gonna… I don’t need to say anything else.’

Ratner had not led a film for a decade when he was tapped for the Melania project.

A source told Masters that Melania was a fan of his, and that she even liked the idea he had been ‘canceled.’

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Melania for comment.

In February, it was reported that Secret Service agents were ‘uneasy’ about the filming of the documentary amid Ratner’s past controversy.

A source with knowledge of the production spoke to Puck’s Kim Masters, after the outlet’s founder, Matthew Belloni, was the first to report that the streamer had paid $40 million for the film.

They revealed how Hollywood outcast Ratner was given unprecedented and ‘unfettered’ access to the Trump White House. The director filmed there for more than 30 days, according to the source.