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Who is Brett Ratner and is Melania Trump documentary director named in Epstein files? What we know
Brett Ratner, director of the documentary on Melania Trump, appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files in multiple pictures and emails alongside Jean-Luc Brunel.
Hollywood director Brett Ratner, the director of Melania, a documentary on First Lady Melania Trump, has surfaced in the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Publicly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein Transparency Act include photographs of Ratner with Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel, according to PEOPLE.
Brunel, a controversial French modeling agent, was arrested in Paris for raping a minor.
Ratner has mentions in several email exchanges between Epstein and his associates as well.
Read more: ‘Melania’ documentary: Amazon restricts press access at Washington premiere
Who is Brett Ratner?
Brett Ratner is an American film director and producer who rose to prominence in Hollywood during the late 1990s and 2000s. He is known for directing blockbuster films such as the Rush Hour series, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist.
Ratner also co-founded RatPac Entertainment, a production company that co-financed numerous high-profile films.
However, Ratner's career suffered a major setback in 2017 when six women, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, accused him of sexual misconduct and assault.
While he denied these allegations, the backlash led to studios like Warner Bros. severing ties with his production company and Ratner largely stepped back from Hollywood.
Ratner made a comeback with a documentary chronicling Melania Trump’s activities in the days leading up to former Donald Trump’s second election as President. According to multiple reports, the movie holds a whopping $40 million budget, which is one of the highest ever for a documentary.
Read more: Peter Attia wife and kids: All we know about ‘celeb doc’ named in Epstein files
Photos and emails in Epstein Files
In the staggered release of the Epstein Files in December 2025 and January 31, 2026, Ratner's name and pictures have surfaced multiple times.
Ratner was seen embracing Jean-Luc Brunel, who was charged with providing girls to the late sex trafficker and others, in the earlier document load. This image was one among the 15 thumbnails of Ratner that the DOJ made public on Friday, along with the more than 3 million Epstein files.
Ratner is pictured on a sofa with Epstein and Brunel, and with three ladies whose faces have been redacted in the pictures that were made public on Friday.
Multiple email exchanges in the Epstein Files appear to allude to his presence and meetings with Epstein on multiple occasions.
However, the DOJ’s release did not link Ratner to any criminal allegations in connection with Epstein’s network.
