Lauren Sánchez Bezos's net worth decoded after lavish wedding to Jeff Bezos in Venice

Cosmopolitan

2 days ago

It was quite the spectacle – but of course, we wouldn't expect anything less from a wedding featuring one of the richest people in the world.
The glitterati, super wealthy and power players all descended on Venice for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's (now Sánchez Bezos) wedding, with the controversial three-day extravaganza on the receiving end of criticism from locals and activists calling out 'over-tourism' in an increasingly delicate ecosystem and accusations levelled at Amazon over the amount (or lack) of corporation tax the company pays.
Despite the naysayers and critics (who also were scathing about the sheer level of wealth needed to effectively hire a city at your disposal), Bezos and Sánchez married in an 'intimate' ceremony with just 200 guests at the San Giorgio Maggiore Basilica church on one of Venice's nearby islands. The ceremony was just one of many events (with a pre-wedding foam party on a super yacht and a 'dolce notte' sleepover also parts of the nuptial extravaganza).
But now the pair have officially tied the knot, it left us wondering what space-travelling, book-writing former news anchor Sanchez's net worth might be – both before and after her big day? After all, she had a successful career in her own right before meeting Bezos – so we dug a little deeper to find out more…
A formidable power player in her own right, Sánchez, 55, has been an established journalist in California since the 1990s. As well as working as a news anchor (which saw her land a bit-part in 1999 cult classic Fight Club), Sánchez was the original host of FOX's popular dancing competition So You Think You Can Dance (she left after just one season to have her first child and went on to be replaced by Cat Deeley).
Alongside her onscreen career, in 2016, Sánchez earned a pilot license, which then led to the formation of her production company, Black Ops Aviation – an endeavour which allows her to fly planes and helicopters for television programmes and films that may require one. She even served as a consultant on Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning 2017 film, Dunkirk.
'We came from nothing,' she told The Hollywood Reporter about the venture back in 2017. 'I used to sleep in the back of my grandmother's car when she would clean houses, and I've been fortunate enough to have a career.
'Working is part of my DNA. I enjoy it, and now I want to give back.'
Her brother, Michael, however disputes this version of their upbringing and economic background, telling The Times 'Our parents were successful and wealthy,' and that their grandmother owned a restaurant and a race horse.
In addition to this, Sánchez has also written her own children's book, based on her experience with school and dyslexia. The Fly Who Flew to Space is a story about a fly named Flynn, who struggles academically but somehow ends up in the cockpit of a rocket. Upon its release in 2024, it debuted at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list, and likely contributed to her significant net worth (pop culture fans may also remember that Sánchez was one of the many celebrity passengers on the Blue Origin's New Shephard programme earlier this year).
We also have to point towards Sánchez's first marriage; having wed Hollywood agent and founding partner of Endeavor talent agency Patrick Whitesell in 2005, the pair divorced in 2019 after she met Bezos. TMZ reports the pair had a prenup, with Whitesell thought to be worth $100 million (around £72 million) at the time.
With these numerous avenues of income, multiple sources have suggested that Sánchez's net worth before the marriage to Bezos was around $30 million (£21 million) – not too shabby at all.
While there has been no official word on whether the pair have decided to hash out a financial agreement before the lavish big day, with Bezos thought to be worth a staggering $237 billion (£194 billion), it's likely there would have been something put in place.
Bezos famously did not have a prenup with his ex, philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. The pair, who were married for 25 years, got divorced in 2019 – with Scott receiving a 25% stake in Amazon (believed to translate into around $35 billion, or £29.9 million). Scott vowed to give away most of her wealth, and has since parted ways with She has given away more than $19 billion (£13.7 billion) in donations to charitable causes though her Yield Foundation.
Naturally, there is no official number out there, but a ceremony this big and this grand is a multi-million dollar affair (after all, with Lady Gaga and Elton John reportedly performing, it was hardly going to be a cut-price do).
Venice regional governor Luca Zaia originally estimated the cost between €20 million-€30 million, (£17 million to £25 million) in an article published by Reuters. After a last-minute venue change because of security concerns and risk of protests, this estimate later jumped to €40 million-€48 million (£34 million to £41 million).
Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper's Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.