Rolling Stones Deny Okaying ‘Gimme Shelter’ for ‘Melania’ Doc
The Rolling Stones are pushing back against claims that Mick Jagger personally approved the use of “Gimme Shelter” in the documentary Melania, which focuses on First Lady Melania Trump. The dispute has opened fresh questions over who signed off on the song’s use and how much involvement, if any, the band had in the licensing decision.
Mark Beckman, producer of the Melania Trump doc, reveals Guns N‘ Roses denied a song request. One member was on board, but another said, “There’s just no way.”
Variety Australia reported that an official representative for the Rolling Stones told the Guardian the licence was handled “exclusively between rights holders ABKCO and Melania’s producers,” adding that the band “had nothing to do with it.”
The denial follows comments attributed to producer Marc Beckman, who said earlier that Jagger “was actually involved” and “gave his blessing,” according to the Guardian account cited in Variety’s reporting. Variety also said an unnamed source close to Jagger disputed that he was involved in the decision, while representatives for the Stones and ABKCO did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
ABKCO controls and administers the Rolling Stones’ pre-1971 recorded catalogue, which includes “Gimme Shelter,” after longtime manager Allen Klein’s company retained the rights following the band’s early-1970s split with him. Variety noted that the Stones have historically licensed music widely for film uses, but that their relationship with President Trump has been contentious, including past objections to his campaign’s use of their songs at rallies.
With conflicting accounts still circulating between the film’s side and the band’s camp, the key issue now is whether ABKCO acted independently within its rights or whether any level of artist approval was sought behind the scenes. For now, the Rolling Stones’ representatives are drawing a clear line: they say the band did not authorise the track’s placement in the documentary.
