Fresh, stale, or politics? The Melania doc's Rotten Tomatoes score, explained
2026-02-20 · 25 min · 4 entities
Asserted relationships
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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Technology
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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: WBUR
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companys 4
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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: WBUR
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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Technology
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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Technology
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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: WBUR
Episode description as stored
Melania , a documentary about the first lady, has a 10 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, but a 90 percent score from audience members, an unusual discrepancy that raises the question, how did Rotten Tomatoes get those scores anyway?
Show notes:
The 'Melania' movie audience: Older white women
( NPR )
Melania’s Movie Shows Signs of Bulk Buying to Boost Box Office: Guru ( The Daily Beast )
You Can Thank 'Rush Hour' for Rotten Tomatoes ( Vice )
Rotten Tomatoes Owner Says ‘Melania’ 99% Audience Score Is Not ‘Bot Manipulation’: ‘Reviews Are Verified… Users Bought a Ticket to the Film’ ( Variety )
Credits: This episode was produced by Kalyani Saxena and Grace Tatter. It was co-hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Kalyani Saxena, and edited by Meg Cramer. Mix and sound design by Paul Vaitkus.