Gigi Hadid just did her “Melania Trump impression” #AMAs pic.twitter.com/AYJTMhvCCx
— Jessica Goodman (@jessgood) November 21, 2016
Sunday night’s AMAs have been a big snooze so far, but one notable moment — and a particularly brutal one — occurred when co-host Gigi Hadid decided to break out her Melania Trump impression. (Or rather, the show’s writers did so, and this wasn’t a good look.) The model not only poked fun at Melania’s accent but also took a dig at her intelligence (while implying that Melania couldn’t remember who she had married). There was no sharpness to the impression at all, so the moment fell flat.
Granted, this isn’t cable news, so perhaps the show’s writers wanted to keep things light, but there are still ways to minimize political talk while swaying the material slightly to the AMAs audience. On Sunday, reports surfaced to suggest that Melania won’t be living in the White House. This could be a comedy goldmine and a very easy target for an awards show audience.
But alas, the AMAs didn’t go there, and the audience seemed more shocked than anything at the sheer unfunniness of Gigi’s imitation. Laughter was in short supply, but co-host Jay Pharoah seemed to enjoy the act.