Rosie O'Donnell blasts Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez's Italy wedding: 'It turned my stomach'
For most weddings, well-wishes for the newlyweds are a common courtesy. But Rosie O'Donnell is bucking tradition.
The outspoken comedian and TV personality, 63, blasted the high-profile wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and media entrepreneur Lauren Sánchez in a poem-style letter shared to her Substack newsletter on June 29. Bezos and Sánchez, whose lavish nuptials in Italy sparked controversy and protests, were married in a star-studded ceremony in Venice on June 27.
"The BEZOS wedding, it turned my stomach. Seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all," O'Donnell wrote. "Is Oprah friends with Jeff Bezos? Really — how is that possible? He treats his employees with disdain. By any metric he is not a nice man."
Winfrey was among the many famous faces in attendance at Bezos and Sánchez's wedding, which boasted an A-list guest list that included Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Bill Gates, Kris Jenner and Brooks Nader.
O'Donnell also aimed at Sánchez, whom she described as Bezos' "fake fembot wife." The former talk show host's letter also included a before-and-after photo of Sánchez that appeared to criticize her use of plastic surgery.
"Why would he choose her after the salt of the earth Mackenzie," O'Donnell continued, referring to Bezos' first wife, author and billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. He "sold his soul is what it looks like from here. The devil is smiling at all his conquests."
O'Donnell, who moved to Ireland in January following the 2024 election victory of President Donald Trump, also referenced the Republican president's proposed "big, beautiful bill," as well as other sociopolitical issues such as LGBTQ rights in the U.S. and the humanitarian crisis of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"Bezos was raised by a single mother. He knows exactly what he does," O'Donnell wrote. "So do all of his guests — posing for photos, forgetting themselves in their designer outfits. Ready for a Vogue cover, a spot on 'ET,' more worthless performative nonsense."
She added: "We have become numb to gross excess. We have learned to tolerate it: celebrity worship, devoid of humanity."
In the weeks leading up to Bezos and Sánchez's luxury wedding, several protesters — comprised of local anti-tourist activists, members of Greenpeace Italy and the U.K. group "Everyone hates Elon" (Musk) — took to the streets to air their grievances, arguing that city authorities were prioritizing tourism over resident needs, per Reuters.
The celebrity nuptials similarly caused an uproar on social media, with one user describing the wedding as the face of "oligarchy."
"There is something wrong here. There can be no denying," O'Donnell concluded. "Something inside has died, and I can't hide. I just can't fake it."
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Jay Stahl, Saman Shafiq and Charles Trepany, USA TODAY
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Anna Wintour will step down as Vogue editor-in-chief
Fashion media's reigning queen is abdicating her throne. Well, one throne, at least: Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of Vogue. The 75-year-old, an iconic figure who has been enshrined all over pop culture (but perhaps most famously in The Devil Wears Prada), has served as the EIC at the American version of the magazine for 37 years. She will remain as Vogue's global editorial director and chief content officer of parent company Condé Nast. Per Variety, Wintour told staffers on Thursday the publication will begin the search for a new head of editorial content. In 2021, Condé implemented a new organizational structure wherein international markets each have a head of editorial content that reports to a global editorial director; the new U.S. role will align with similar positions in the U.K., China, France, Italy, etc. 'Over the last four years Anna's role has exponentially expanded with a global remit across all brands, in addition to the day-to-day editing of American Vogue,' a spokesperson told NBC News. Stepping away from the EIC role 'is expected to give Wintour the ability to devote more time to the magazine's global output, in addition to leading all Condé Nast titles except The New Yorker,' Variety reports. Wintour began her career at Condé as Vogue's first creative director in 1983. She moved on to become the editor-in-chief of British Vogue in 1985. She ultimately succeeded Grace Mirabella as EIC of U.S. Vogue in 1988, and became more or less synonymous with the brand. She's often been parodied for her signature bob haircut and sunglasses, frequently seen sitting in the front row of fashion shows and serving as the chair of the annual Met Gala. Wintour, and the publication of the magazine's most important installment of the year, were the subject of the 2009 documentary The September Issue. More from A.V. Club On Virgin, Lorde has never been less certain or more alive 3 new songs and 3 new albums to check out this weekend James Cameron calls Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer "a bit of a moral cop out"
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
UK police say pro-Palestine performances at Glastonbury subject to probe
British police have announced that the weekend performances by rap-punk duo Bob Vylan and the Irish-language band Kneecap at the Glastonbury Festival are subject to a criminal investigation after they led crowds in chants calling for 'death' to the Israeli military and a 'free Palestine'. Police on Monday said the performances at the United Kingdom's largest summer music festival 'have been recorded as a public order incident'. Rapper Bobby Vylan, who until the weekend was relatively unknown, led crowds in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death' to the Israeli military. The BBC said it regretted livestreaming the performance and it should have pulled it off the air. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other UK politicians condemned the chants, saying there was no excuse for such 'appalling hate speech'. Starmer added that the BBC must explain 'how these scenes came to be broadcast'. Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, said it was 'very concerned' about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster 'clearly has questions to answer'. Meanwhile, the United States Department of State said it has revoked the visas for Bob Vylan to perform in the US after its 'hateful tirade at Glastonbury'. 'Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,' US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a social media post. Israel's genocidal assault in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some of its supporters have described the protests as anti-Semitic while critics said Israel uses such descriptions to silence its opponents. While maintaining a crippling siege on the bombarded enclave, Israeli forces have killed at least 56,531 people and wounded 133,642, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues in its lyrics, including racism, homophobia and the class divide, and has previously voiced support for Palestinians. Its lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: 'I said what I said.' 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,' he added. The duo played Saturday afternoon right before Kneecap, whose set was not livestreamed by the BBC but still found a huge online audience via TikTok. It is another band that has drawn controversy previously over its strongly pro-Palestine stance. Kneecap led a crowd of tens of thousands in chants of 'Free Palestine' at the festival. It also aimed an expletive-laden chant at Starmer, who had said he didn't think it was 'appropriate' for Kneecap to play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who is also known as Liam O'Hanna and performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Israel has faced sustained international opprobrium for the conduct of its war in Gaza. Weekly protests draw thousands of people around Europe and across the world in support of Palestinians. Public pressure, in part, seemed to prompt the Israeli allies France, Canada and the UK to issue a sharply worded statement in May calling for Israel to stop its 'egregious' military actions in Gaza and criticising Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bob Vylan's Israeli military chant prompts US visa cancellation and UK criminal probe
Members of the British rap punk duo Bob Vylan had their visas revoked by the United States and are under investigation by local police after leading a crowd to chant 'death' to Israel's military at a UK music festival this past weekend. On Monday, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that the State Department 'has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants.' He added on X that 'foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.' The group was slated to go on a US tour beginning in late October, according to a post on Instagram. The US State Department has instituted an aggressive visa restriction and revocation policy for alleged support of terrorism and anti-Semitism. Rapper Bobby Vylan took to Glastonbury Festival's third-biggest West Holts Stage on Saturday, shouting 'Free, free Palestine,' before leading crowds to chants against the Israeli military. Video showed the rapper shouting into the mic, 'Alright, but have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).' The artist also performed in front of a screen that displayed a message which read: 'United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a 'conflict,'' referring to the UK's public broadcaster that showed the festival live. In a Sunday Instagram post captioned 'I said what I said,' Bobby Vylan said he had received 'messages of both support and hatred' following the performance. 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,' the post read. 'As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.' CNN has contacted Vylan for comment. Bob Vylan's chants at the festival have also prompted outcry among top British officials, and British police are reviewing video footage of their set. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that 'there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.' The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was 'deeply disturbed' by what it called 'inflammatory and hateful' rhetoric at the festival. A BBC spokesperson told CNN Sunday that some of the comments made during Vylan's performance were 'deeply offensive.' The broadcaster streamed the rapper's set live but said it had no plans to make the performance available on demand through its iPlayer streaming platform. On Monday, the BBC admitted that 'with hindsight' Vylan's performance should have been pulled from air during the performance, saying that the corporation 'respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.' 'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,' it added. Bob Vylan's music incorporates a variety of genres with lyrics that often confront social issues such as racism, sexism, and economic inequality. Ahead of the five-day music festival, all eyes were on Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap after band member Liam O'Hanna – who performs under the stage name Mo Chara – was charged last month with a terrorism offense following an investigation by London's Metropolitan Police. The charge, which he has denied, relates to a London gig in November 2024 where he allegedly displayed a flag of Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist organization banned under UK law. Ahead of the festival at Worthy Farm, Starmer said it was not 'appropriate' for the group to perform. While performing on the same stage Saturday afternoon, Chara told the crowds that recent events had been 'stressful' but that it was nothing in comparison to 'what the Palestinian people are going through.' Kneecap rapper Naoise Ó Cairealláin, who goes by the stage name Móglaí Bap, hit back at Starmer's comment during Saturday's set: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer.' Police in Somerset, where the festival is held, said on Monday that after reviewing video and audio footage of both bands' performances, they determined that 'further enquiries are required' and opened a criminal investigation into the matter. The investigation is in an early state, police said, adding that authorities 'will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.'
