ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The tears have long dried, though the pangs of regret remain for Josh Allen, who's still coming to grips over what’s transpired in the 12 days since the Buffalo Bills were eliminated from the playoffs.
Add in having surgery for a broken bone in his right foot, and a sudden coaching change that had offensive coordinator Joe Brady promoted to take over after Sean McDermott was fired, and Allen has had little time to catch his breath.
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Joe Brady meets with reporters after being introduced as the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a NFL news conference in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, center, arrives at a press conference to announce Joe Brady as the new head coach in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a NFL news conference in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
“I’m still trying to take it all in,” Allen said Thursday after attending Brady’s inaugural news conference.
“There’s just so many elements that come into play. Just trying to take it one day at a time,” he added. “But I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I’m still sick to my stomach about how the season ended.”
Allen’s comments were his first since breaking down in tears following a 33-30 overtime loss to Denver in a divisional-round playoff on Jan. 17. It was an outing in which his three touchdown passes were undone by committing four of Buffalo’s five turnovers.
As much as Allen is fully on board with Brady’s hiring in a search process he played a role in, the quarterback shouldered the blame for McDermott’s firing after nine seasons.
“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for coach McDermott,” Allen said.
“If I make one more play that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now. We’re probably not making a change,” he added. “And that’s the hard part to take in from my perspective, but that’s reality.”
The loss proved to be the last straw for owner Terry Pegula, who called Allen to inform him of McDermott’s firing. Pegula felt the Bills had hit what he called “the proverbial playoff wall” under the coach, and feared the team was wasting Allen’s prime years, with the quarterback set to turn 30 in May.
Allen showed up Thursday with crutches and with a protective boot on his right foot. He expects to be fully healthy for the start of spring practices, adding he would have been able to play if Buffalo had a game this week.
Allen said he played through the injury after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his foot late in the second quarter of a 23-20 win at Cleveland on Dec. 21.
“It’s a little painful right now, but it wasn’t a crazy surgery,” he said.
Allen also rallied to the defense of receiver Keon Coleman, who was drawn into McDermott’s dismissal following an underperforming season in which the second-year player was disciplined for showing up late to meetings.
Pegula interjected last week when questions were asked about Coleman and general manager Brandon Beane’s failure to improve the team’s group of receivers last offseason. Pegula said members of the coaching staff were to blame for pushing Beane to draft the player with the first pick of the second round in 2024.
“He will come back from that. I’m not going to give up on zero,” Allen said, referring to Coleman’s number. “He’s got too much ability and we’re gonna work tirelessly, him and me, and so will everybody else in this building.”
Beane referred to Allen’s role in the interview process as a sounding board and as a representative for the players.
Allen said he felt awkward at times sitting in on the interviews. But he said the experience was ultimately beneficial in learning more about the Pegulas, Beane and even Brady, who was initially the Bills' quarterback coach in 2022 before being promoted to coordinator midway through 2023.
“I looked at (Brady) the other day and he promised me and I promised him to hold each other to a standard and hold each other accountable and not get complacent of where we’re at,” Allen said. “I truly believe in the direction of this organization, starting from the top.”
Aside from resting, Allen's immediate offseason plans involve him preparing for the birth of his first child with his wife, actor Hailee Steinfeld, who announced her pregnancy in mid-December.
“I’m very much looking forward to that. It’s something that I will take with great pride,” Allen said. “This is the most important thing I’ll ever be in my life is being a dad. And I know I love being a football player, and I love being a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. But I’m looking forward to this one.”
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Joe Brady meets with reporters after being introduced as the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a NFL news conference in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, center, arrives at a press conference to announce Joe Brady as the new head coach in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a NFL news conference in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump is capping her first year back as first lady with the global release of a documentary she produced about the 20 days leading up to husband Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
“Melania” will premiere Thursday at the Kennedy Center, where the Trumps are expected to walk the red carpet before the film opens in theaters worldwide Friday. They hosted a similar viewing at the White House last Saturday.
The first lady has said that she got the idea for the documentary after her husband won the 2024 election and that it will give viewers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at her life.
“My new film, ‘Melania,’ provides a window into an important period for America, the 47th presidential inauguration," she said Wednesday before ringing the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange. "For the first time in history, people will witness the 20 days leading up to the inauguration, through the eyes of an incoming first lady.”
A private person, Melania Trump still remains a bit of a mystery to the public in her husband's second term.
She said the film will show what it takes to step into the high-profile role as she juggles being a businessperson, a wife and a mother, as well as the coordinator of her family's move back to the Executive Mansion.
“Everyone wants to know. So here it is,” she says in the trailer for the nearly two-hour film.
In another scene from the trailer, it is Inauguration Day and Melania Trump is inside the Capitol, waiting to be escorted into the Rotunda for the ceremony. She turns her head, looks directly into the camera that had been documenting her every move and says, “Here we go again.”
She wrote in her self-titled memoir published in 2024 about how much she values her privacy. She is not as frequently seen or heard from as often as some of her recent predecessors, which may be influencing the public's perceptions of her. But she also likes to do things her way.
The U.S. public is divided on their views of the first lady, but a significant number — about 4 in 10 adults — had no opinion or had not heard of her, according to a CNN poll from January 2025. About 3 in 10 adults saw her favorably while roughly the same share had an unfavorable opinion.
Her standing among Republicans was higher, with about 7 in 10 saying in the poll that they viewed her favorably, but around one-quarter did not have an opinion.
Experts said the film could help improve perceptions of her.
“I think it’s an attempt, in a way, to really augment or tailor or really refine her image for the American public,” said Katherine Sibley, who teaches history at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “She’s a mystery to the American people.”
Melania Trump, 55, said she's honored to execute the traditional duties of first lady, such as holding state dinners, hosting the annual Easter Egg Roll and decorating for Christmas. But she also has suggested she wants to leave her mark in other ways, too.
“I want to impact Americans' lives,” she said this week during an interview on Fox News Channel's “Fox & Friends.”
She spent chunks of time away from Washington last year working on the documentary and was deeply involved in every aspect of its development, according to Marc Beckman, her longtime senior adviser.
The well-being and safety of children remains one of her top priorities, and she has used her influence to lobby Congress to pass the “Take It Down Act,” making it a federal crime to publish intimate images online without consent. The president signed the bill into law and had her sign it, too.
Her advocacy for foster children was enshrined in an executive order creating a “Fostering the Future” program. It's part of the “Be Best” child-focused initiative she launched in the first term.
She also wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin last year for help reuniting children who had been separated from their families because of his war against Ukraine. She had her husband hand-deliver the letter when the leaders met in Alaska, and she later announced that eight children had been reunited with their families.
The first lady accompanied the president on visits to disaster zones, where she helped console victims. She has taken a prominent role in the administration's efforts on artificial intelligence and education and launched a global version of the foster child program.
She told guests at a White House Christmas reception that she is working on a new legislative effort for 2026, but has not yet shared details.
It was unclear how much money Melania Trump stands to earn or what her plans are for any film proceeds. Experts said it was unusual for a first lady to pursue a project of this kind from the White House — but not unusual for the Trumps.
“As far as I know, she’s the first first lady to be paid a lot of money to have a documentary made about her and it is unprecedented in terms of the Trumps because they are always breaking precedent,” said Katherine Jellison, professor emerita of history at Ohio University.
Presidents and first ladies generally refrain from pursuing outside business ventures while in office to avoid potential conflicts of interest or raising ethical concerns.
Both Trumps participate in numerous business ventures, selling everything from watches, fragrances and Bibles for him to jewelry, Christmas ornaments and digital collectibles for her.
The movie also marks another link between the Trumps and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has worked to improve a once-tense relationship with the president. The documentary, which was produced by AmazonMGM Studios and is said to have cost $40 million, will stream exclusively on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service after its theatrical run.
Amazon has declined to comment on the financial arrangements.
The film was set for release in approximately 1,600 screens worldwide on Friday, including about 1,500 in the United States. The premiere is to be simulcast in 21 theaters nationwide for invited guests on Thursday to help build excitement for the launch.
The movie is the first project by director Brett Ratner since he was accused of sexual misconduct in the early days of the #MeToo reckoning. Ratner's lawyer has denied the allegations.
He shares producer credits with the first lady, Beckman and Fernando Sulichin of New Element Media. Filming began in December 2024.
Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of her movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of her movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of her movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., and his wife Kelly arrive for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer arrive for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his wife Kathryn arrive for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
A worker removes plastic from the carpet before the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie "Melania" at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
First lady Melania Trump delivers her remarks in the New York Stock Exchange board room before ringing the opening bell, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
First lady Melania Trump signs the book on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange before ringing the opening bell, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
First lady Melania Trump poses for photos on the podium after ringing the New York Stock Exchange opening bell, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
