Lauren Sanchez Was Never The Same After Meeting Jeff Bezos

Long before Lauren Sanchez had a public relationship with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, she was an on-air personality with a determined spirit that saw her rise to become a popular host on “Extra” and “Good Day L.A.” The odds were stacked against Sanchez from the beginning, since she was raised by her grandmother, who struggled to make ends meet. “We came from nothing,” Sanchez recalled in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter. “I used to sleep in the back of my grandmother’s car when she would go clean houses, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have a career.”

As a television host, Sanchez was a big player in the Hollywood scene, but not quite an A-list star just yet. Instead, she interviewed celebrities on the red carpet, crossed paths with influential politicians like former President Bill Clinton, and wowed audiences with her vibrant energy on “So You Think You Can Dance.” On occasion, Sanchez attended industry events in the company of her then-husband, Patrick Whitesell, with whom she was married for 14 years.

Sanchez eventually learned how to fly and founded an aerial filming company named Black Ops Aviation, which reportedly became the link between her and Bezos. Only then did she become like the stars she used to interview. Sanchez has undoubtedly climbed up the social ladder, thanks to her relationship with the billionaire. From wrangles with family to vacations with other A-listers, here’s how her life has changed since meeting Bezos.

Prior to becoming a couple, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s families reportedly belonged to the same social groups and closely interacted with one another. Sanchez and her ex-husband, Patrick Whitesell, owned a home close to Seattle, as did Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott. Bezos, Sanchez, and Whitesell were even photographed together at a “Manchester by the Sea” event at the Sanchez-Whitesell home in 2016, during which the Amazon founder supposedly made flirtatious moves toward Sanchez.

The relationship between Sanchez and Bezos reportedly took a different turn when Bezos hired the Sanchez’s company, Black Ops Aviation, to help with aerial coverage for his space company, Blue Origin. At the time, Sanchez’s relationship with Whitesell had deteriorated, as an insider claimed in a chat with People. “Over the last two or three years, their marriage felt more like a business relationship,” the little birdie whispered. “They both were doing their own thing. She would be out and about a lot and he was never with her.”

Sanchez was influenced to become a pilot by her parents, both of whom were in the aviation industry, and long after the scandalous revelation of her relationship with Bezos came to pass (details on this next), history sort of repeated itself since Bezos, too, learned how to fly. The pair took turns in the pilot’s seat, even though Sanchez was more critical of Bezos’ skills. As such, she eventually became a quiet passenger. “I’ve realized that when I’m in the back of the helicopter when he’s flying, I just kind of have to look out the window, just kind of enjoy the scenery,” Sanchez shared in a joint interview with CNN.

Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos’ worlds came crashing down when the National Enquirer exposed their alleged affair in January 2019. In a since-deleted article that detailed the couple’s rendezvous, the publication claimed that Sanchez and Bezos had an eight-month relationship while they were still publicly loyal to their partners. In fact, Bezos and MacKenzie Scott celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary as the affair was ongoing. 

Bezos and Sanchez reportedly exchanged flirtatious texts and NSFW pictures and hid their relationship under the guise of working together. One of Bezos’ texts to Sanchez reportedly read (via Page Six), “I love everything about you. I love that your last pic takes me completely out of my head. I am crazy about you. All of you. I need to smell and touch you. I want to hold you. I know you’re right for me. I know we fit.” As it turned out, Sanchez and Bezos weren’t too good at hiding their relationship since Bezos’ ex-wife, Scott, allegedly almost caught the couple after a helicopter ride.

The Bezoses were exposed a day after Bezos announced his divorce from Scott, and word on the street was that the public was only getting to know about the affair long after the couple’s then-spouses had handled the situation. “Their families dealt with this in the fall,” an informant told People. “The world is catching up to it, but it has had zero impact on their relationship. They’ve never been stronger.”

Following the National Enquirer’s explosive feature, Lauren Sanchez and Patrick Whitesell reportedly continued to live together, even though it was revealed that Patrick had been caught off guard by her affair with Jeff Bezos. “Patrick was totally blindsided. He had no idea how serious the affair was or how long it was going on for,” a source told Us Weekly. “Patrick had no idea she was having an affair with Jeff.”

Sanchez and Whitesell eventually filed for divorce months later, shortly after Bezos’ divorce from MacKenzie Scott had been finalized. According to court documents, the couple was seeking shared custody of their children, Ella and Evan Whitesell. Sanchez and Patrick appeared to have completely parted ways with no chance of reconciliation, since the former anchor and Bezos made their first public appearance as a couple at the Wimbledon men’s final in July 2019. Similarly, Patrick moved on with model Pia Miller, with whom he later married.

In October 2019, Sanchez and Whitesell finalized their divorce. As requested, the couple was granted joint custody of their children. Bezos and Sanchez have since learned to become great co-parents and have an ordinary life. When asked how their Saturday nights looked, Sanchez told CNN, “I would say normal. We have dinner with the kids. That’s always fun and a great conversation. There’s seven between us, so there’s a lot of discussion. And then we watch a movie … by committee. It takes a long time to find that movie.”

When news of Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos’ alleged affair broke, the latter took to Medium to accuse the National Enquirer’s parent company, AMI, of extortion. Bezos further tied the leakage of his private data to political warfare, but his brother-in-law, Michael Sanchez, was also accused of joining forces with the media. Michael denied any involvement in the exposé, telling Vanity Fair, “I had nothing to do with leak of the d*** pics. That’s the important thing. I never had access. It’s clear they were sent to others.”

In February 2020, Michael took Bezos to court alongside 11 other defendants, including Bezos’ security lead, Gavin de Becker. Michael claimed that Bezos and his camp’s accusations had severed some of his personal and professional relationships. In return, Bezos filed a motion in which he accused Michael of extortion and lying to the media that the leaked private pictures may have come from Lauren herself. In the end, Michael lost the defamation case against Bezos, and in place of an astounding $1.7 million the Amazon founder demanded in legal fees, he was awarded a reported $218,000.

Subsequently, the relationship between Michael and Lauren turned sour. Per a conversation Michael had with The Times in June 2025, he and Lauren had last seen each other physically in 2019. Michael, who is Lauren’s older brother, also claimed that his sister had cut off all contact with him in 2020. Needless to say, Michael’s name didn’t appear on Lauren and Bezos’ star-studded wedding guest list.

Jeff Bezos founded the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020. In an Instagram post announcing the start of the organization, Bezos shared that he had committed a staggering $10 billion to join the war against climate change. Naturally, Lauren Sanchez was appointed as the Bezos Earth Fund’s vice chairperson, and although she wasn’t vocal about climate change before, she has since committed to the organization’s mission.

“We are focusing on several key issues, like restoring and protecting nature, advancing climate justice and supporting innovative climate solutions,” Sanchez explained in a chat between herself and actor Eva Longoria for The Hollywood Reporter, also adding that they would do so by “funding scientific research to develop new technologies.”

Over the years, the Bezos Earth Fund has lived up to its promise, just as Sanchez shared, gradually dishing out funds to deserving companies and facilities. In 2023, it made a $34 million investment that was awarded to institutions like Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the GHP Protocol, which helps with tracking climate change goals all over the world. Similarly, the organization set up a competitive approach to securing funding through its AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, whose Phase 1 winners were announced by Sanchez in a May 2025 Instagram post.

While Lauren Sanchez didn’t exactly make headlines for any vacations she may have gone to before meeting Jeff Bezos, her getaways suddenly became of interest to the paparazzi and press following the confirmation of their relationship. In June 2024, Sanchez and Bezos were spotted on a boat in Greece alongside former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October Gonzalez. Tony and Sanchez were once in a relationship and share a child, Nikko Gonzalez, who was born in 2001.

Sanchez and Bezos were pictured on yet another European getaway with friends in August 2024, during which she drew attention for her revealing fashion choice. Bezos wrapped his arms around Sanchez’s shoulder on their way toward his superyacht named Koru, all while the latter looked splendid in a figure-hugging, sleeveless mini Chanel dress that left little to the imagination. Sanchez accessorized the chic outfit with a pair of sunglasses and a mini woven bag.

In May 2025, Sanchez and Bezos headed out to Monaco for the 2025 F1 Grand Prix after the Cannes Festival craze, and once again, Sanchez’s love for busty outfits that are likely to leave her beau drooling came to play. The former anchor was seen in a long sheer black dress that accentuated her bosom, and it was much like a sheer animal print number she wore later on a trip to St. Tropez, France, that showed her underwear.

Lauren Sanchez had other celebrity friends prior to meeting Jeff Bezos — like actor Eva Longoria, whom she has known for more than two decades — but after the pair became a couple, they began hanging out more with singer Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom. In August 2023, the couples were pictured taking a walk in Dubrovnik, Croatia, soon after Sanchez and Bezos had thrown an engagement party in Italy.

When Sanchez turned 55 years old the following year, the couples were seen making merry at “Confessions” singer Usher’s concert in Miami, Florida. Still, that wasn’t the first time Perry and Bloom had joined the Bezoses in marking Sanchez’s birthday, as they were also present at a dinner thrown by Bezos when Sanchez turned 50 years old in December 2019.

The quartet was also photographed together on an Italian vacation in August 2024. At the time, the couples were joined on Bezos’ superyacht by Usher and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who was in the company of his girlfriend, model Vittoria Ceretti. Unfortunately, Perry and Bloom have since called it quits. In fact, Perry was a no-show during Sanchez and Bezos’ Venice wedding, and newlywed Sanchez took to her Instagram comments section to let the singer know that her absence was felt. “We miss you Katy,” Sanchez wrote (via CNN).

President Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration was a star-studded indoor affair that was watched by 24.6 million viewers and attended by top tech founders in America, including Jeff Bezos. Of course, Lauren Sanchez was present alongside Bezos at the event, and in true Sanchez fashion — no pun intended — she stole the show for her risqué outfit choice and also sparked plastic surgery rumors. Several internet sleuths critiqued Sanchez’s appearance and accused her of having lip fillers. One such user wrote on X, “She’s got some of the worst plastic surgery I’ve ever seen and she dresses like a w****.”

Although Sanchez herself has never addressed any work done on her body, old pictures show that she looked so different before going under the knife. According to medical experts, Sanchez appears to have worked on her lips and nose and had a facelift. While there are plenty of celebrities who’ve had an extreme plastic surgery before and after, Sanchez is not there just yet, but according to New York medical practitioner Dr. Joel Kopelman, she should take it easy. In a past conversation with Nicki Swift, Kopelman said that Sanchez should consider “less invasive techniques or even non-surgical options initially to preserve her natural appearance.”

Lauren Sanchez was joined by singer Katy Perry, television host Gayle King, and three other members on an all-female trip to space in April 2025. The flight, which took place in West Texas, was part of Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin’s venture into space tourism. For Sanchez, it was a heartfelt experience that influenced her life choices afterward, including what to wear on her wedding day.

“Seeing earth from space, I came down and I couldn’t describe it. It was the greatest experience I’ve ever had,” Sanchez told Vogue of the 11-minute voyage. “It was literally one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had in my life.” After Sanchez landed from space, she was welcomed back to Earth by Bezos, who gave her a warm, loving hug. The former television host also received support from friends like the Kardashians, who awarded her with a one-of-a-kind $7,000 gift, a “UFO Orbiter” clutch by handbag designing brand Judith Leiber.

While Sanchez’s trip was in many ways a happy and historic affair, it also attracted criticism from the public. Some observers felt that it was hypocritical for Sanchez to get on a spaceflight, all while promoting the fight against climate change. In response to the backlash received on social media, Sanchez told People, “I get really fired up. I would love to have them [critics] come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle.”

Two years after Jeff Bezos proposed to Lauren Sanchez during a European getaway, the couple had their nuptials in Venice, Italy. The Bezoses’ wedding was a posh celebrity affair — even though there are stars who clearly don’t like Bezos and Sanchez. The event featured attendances by the likes of media mogul Oprah Winfrey, the Kardashian-Jenner brood, and the couple’s long-term friend, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Sanchez’s big day was in every way a fashion affair. The bride previously told Elle that she was focused on “expressing my true, authentic self through fashion,” and that was evident on her wedding day. The former news anchor looked stunning in a custom lacy neck-high Dolce & Gabbana gown that was influenced by Sophia Loren’s character, Cinzia Zaccardi, in the Melville Shavelson-directed film, “Houseboat.” Sanchez took to Instagram to gush over the masterpiece, writing, “Not just a gown, a piece of poetry. Thank you @dolcegabbana for the magic you made.”

Sanchez’s guests didn’t disappoint either when it comes to fashion. On one hand, model Kendall Jenner showed up in a black Tom Ford number, which she accessorized with sunglasses and a set of matching emerald jewelry, and on the other, her sister, Kylie Jenner, was dressed in a revealing corset-like Dilara Findikoglu dress that accentuated her hourglass physique. Overall, the three-day affair that saw Sanchez turning heads in several unique outfits, including a single-shoulder striped Alexander McQueen number, was said to have set the bride back a cool $6 million in wardrobe changes alone.