Radiohead star demands removal of his music from Melania doc

First Lady Melania Trump attends the premiere of the documentary film "Melania" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., January 29, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Famed Radiohead guitarist and film composer Jonny Greenwood joined with his frequent collaborator, Oscar-nominated director Paul Thomas Anderson, to demand the removal of his music from First Lady Melania Trump's new documentary, stating that he did not authorize its use, according to Variety.

The film — simply titled, Melania — was released in theaters nationwide on Jan. 30 under a cloud of controversy. Within the film as released, a segment of the score composed by Greenwood for Anderson's 2017 film, Phantom Thread, is used. In a statement released to multiple news outlets, the pair stated that they were unaware of the score's use in Melania, had not given the green light for it and are now demanding that it be removed.

Greenwood does not control the copyright for his Phantom Thread score, but as the statement explained, his contract stipulated that he must still be consulted for its use in third-party projects.

“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the ‘Melania‘ documentary,” Greenwood and Anderson's statement read. “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.”

The film, which documents the first lady during the 20 days leading up to her husband's second inauguration, was subjected to scathing reviews upon release, with critics lashing it as both a boring, lightweight puff piece and as a piece of pro-administration propaganda. The film has somewhat overperformed box office expectations, grossing a little over $13 million in the U.S. so far, though it took a notably large 67 percent dive in its second weekend.

That gross is solid compared to the standard for documentaries, at least those not focused on popular concerts or nature, but it is, notably, much too little to turn a profit based on the inordinate amount of money it cost to produce. Amazon MGM Studios bought the rights to release the film for $40 million prior to Donald Trump's return to office, and spent a further $35 million to promote it. This sum, excessive by the standards for documentary films, has been accused of amounting to a bribe meant to curry favor with the administration.