A few weeks after saying she wished she could spend Christmas “on a deserted island,” Melania Trump has revealed that her favorite TV show is “How to Get Away With Murder.”
The first lady recently told “The New York Times” that her TV preferences also include the Fox hip-hop soap “Empire” — but no reality TV, the genre that arguably propelled her husband into the White House.
“Robert Mueller and Freud both reading this with interest,” remarked the Times’ Matt Flegenheimer.
None of Fox News’s programs made it into the first lady’s list of faves, either. But the Times’ Katie Rogers found Melania’s “Empire” fandom apropos. “‘Empire’ is juicy, outlandish drama,” she said. “Escapism, almost. Larger-than-life personalities, too. Which is interesting for a first lady who is very much not into the spotlight, but is surrounded by very big personalities.”
Both shows are also executive-produced by and star African-Americans, an ironic playlist within a White House that has been criticized for its lack of diversity. “Murder,” which stars Oscar winner Viola Davis, is produced by Shonda Rhimes, who is also behind “Scandal.” That White House drama stars Kerry Washington as a black political fixer embroiled in a long-running affair with the white president of the United States. The show has addressed abortion and gay marriage.
“Murder” has also been called the “queerest show on network TV” by HuffPost, because it has featured explicit gay sex scenes, a transgender guest star, a character with HIV and discussion of how to use the PrEP prescription to prevent HIV.
The rarely heard first lady is on a bit of a roll as a pop-culture guru. Earlier this month, she told an audience at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., that her favorite Christmas carol was “Oh Holy Night,” and that she would like to spend Christmas “on a deserted island, a tropical island, with my family.”
