Who Is Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos' To-Be-Wife? TV Presenter-Pilot Weds Amazon Boss In Venice
Last Updated:
Jeff Bezos will marry Lauren Sanchez, a TV presenter and founder of Black Ops Aviation. Sanchez, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, got engaged to Bezos in May 2023.
Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sanchez Wedding: US tech billionaire Jeff Bezos is set to marry TV presenter Lauren Sanchez; it's the wedding that everyone is talking about. The million-dollar party in Venice has caused quite a stir.
Born in New Mexico in 1969, Sánchez studied at El Camino College and later the University of Southern California. According to her alma mater's website, at the time, she was known as Wendy Sánchez.
Also See: Jeff Bezos Wedding Photos
Sánchez earned her helicopter pilot's license at 40, a passion sparked by her father, a flight instructor. She went on to found Black Ops Aviation in 2016, becoming the first female-owned aerial film production company.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company consulted on Christopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk."
'I had my job, I had a career, and then I found a calling," she told the publication. 'I loved entertainment and I loved filming, and so I got to combine all of it."
She also serves as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and is dedicated to 'fighting climate change and the protection of nature, as well as early childhood education, programming, and housing support," according to the fund's website.
In 2025, Sánchez was one of the six female passengers who were launched to the edge of space by Bezos' Blue Origin NS-31 rocket for a brief, 10-minute journey.
The 55-year-old also authored a children's book, 'The Fly Who Flew to Space," published in English and Spanish in 2024. The book tells a story of a fly named Flynn who travels to space and returns with a newfound commitment to the planet – a narrative Sánchez described to People as 'a metaphor for curiosity and the pursuit of dreams."
Personal Life
Sanchez has three children: a son born in 2001 with former NFL player Tony Gonzalez and two with her ex-husband, Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.
Sanchez reportedly met Bezos after her company, Black Ops Aviation, was contracted to film for Blue Origin.
Sánchez and Bezos, 61, went public with their relationship in 2019 after Bezos announced his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Scott. A few months later, Sanchez also filed for divorce from Whitesell. The pair got engaged in May 2023.
In the summer of 2023, the couple announced their engagement and threw a star-studded party on Bezos' yacht on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
In January, Sánchez accompanied Bezos at US President Donald Trump's second inauguration. During the ceremony, the couple were seated next to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
First Published:
June 27, 2025, 10:24 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Bespoke bash for a billionaire: Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony
The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez, who have traveled into space — and expectations were about as high ahead of their wedding in Venice on Friday. One of the world's most enchanting cities as backdrop? Check. Star-studded guestlist and tabloid buzz? Of course. Local flavor? You bet. And then, time to tie the knot. The couple held their wedding ceremony Friday night, and Sánchez posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man. It was the second day of events spread across the Italian lagoon city, which added complexity to what would have been a massive logistical undertaking even on dry land. Dozens of private jets had flocked to Venice's airport, and yachts pulled into the city's famed waterways. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. The heady hoopla recalled the 2014 wedding in Venice of actor George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, when adoring crowds lined the canals and hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall. Not so for these nuptials, which became a lightning rod for small, colorful protests. But any desire to dampen the prevailing fever pitch hadn't materialized as of Friday. Instead, the glitterati were partying, and the paparazzi jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala. And the bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look. 'Not just a gown, a piece of poetry,' she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Venice is famed for its network of canals, where gondoliers croon for lovestruck couples and even ambulances are aquatic. But water transport of everything from bouquets to guests makes Venice among the world's most challenging cities for a party, according to Jack Ezon, CEO of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel advisory and destination event service. 'It's a very tight-knit community; everyone there knows everyone, and you need to work with the right people,' said Ezon, whose company has put on a dozen high-end events in Venice. 'There's very tight control, especially on movement there with boats.' It at least triples the cost versus staging the same soiree in Rome or Florence, he said. Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia was first to give an estimated tally for the Bezos/Sánchez bash: He told reporters this week the most recent total he saw was between 40 million and 48 million euros (up to $56 million). It's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping figure that's over 1,000 times the $36,000 average cost of American couples' weddings in 2025, according to wedding planning website Zola's annual report. Bezos' team has been tight-lipped about where these millions are going. When the youngest son of Asia's richest man married last July, performances by pop stars Rihanna and Justin Bieber pushed up the price tag. 'How do you spend $40 million on a three- or four-day event?' Ezon said. 'You could bring headliners, A-list performers, great DJs from anywhere in the world. You could spend $2 million on an incredible glass tent that's only there for 10 hours, but it takes a month to build,' or expand the celebration to local landmarks. There's no sign Sánchez and Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, intend to take over any of Venice's tourist-thronged hotspots. Still, intense hand-wringing about the prospect prompted their wedding coordinator, Lanza & Baucina, to issue a rare statement calling those rumors false. On Friday afternoon, Sánchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi. It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St. Mark's Square, where the couple held their ceremony Friday night. Bezos followed two hours later. Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests — Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more. Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera. Vogue magazine, to which the couple granted exclusive access, reported that the Dolce & Gabbana-designed gown took 900 hours to complete. Inspired by Sophia Loren's wedding dress in the 1958 film Houseboat, it featured high-necked, hand-appliqued lace and 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons. There are some who say these two shouldn't have been wed in this city. They characterize the wedding as a decadent display of wealth in a world with growing inequality, and argue it's a shining example of tourism taking precedence over residents' needs, particularly affordable housing and essential services. Venice is also one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change. 'Venice is not just a pretty picture, a pretty postcard to please the needs and wants of the elite or of mass tourists, but it is an alive city, made of people who want to actually live there,' Stella Faye, a researcher at a university from Venice, said on Friday. About a dozen Venetian organizations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner 'No Space for Bezos,' a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride's recent space flight. Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St. Mark's Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down Venice's Grand Canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash. Authorities — from Venice's mayor to the nation's tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding has brought. 'There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony,' Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanchè, told the AP. 'All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs, hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world.' As Amazon's CEO, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today he has a net worth of $234 billion, according to Forbes. In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sánchez, a former TV news anchor. Sánchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos' divorce was finalized. He stepped down as CEO in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin, The Washington Post, which he owns, and his philanthropic initiatives. Sitting beside Sánchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an 'important donation.' CORILA, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests. Local media have reported a reception Saturday in the Arsenale, a former navy base best known as a primary venue for the Venice Biennale.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Squid Game director reveals real-world figures who inspired VIPs: ‘They no longer hide behind a curtain'
The Squid Game series was inspired by some real-life experiences of director Hwang Dong Hyuk. In the show, we mostly follow the players, poor and desperate, ready to kill each other for money. And while we kept slamming some players for behaving selfishly, the show makes it clear that the real villains are not the players, but the ultra-rich watching from the top. These are the VIPs, treating the lives of people they consider beneath them as nothing more than a circus for their amusement. In a recent interview with Time magazine, director Hwang opened up about how some of the biggest tech billionaires and those in power inspired the role, and whether some of the characters have real-life resemblance. The VIP's first appeared in season 1, episode 7 and were shown as filthy rich people gulping alcohol, speaking English, wearing gold animal masks, and betting on the players' lives. They treat it like gambling on horses. In Season 1, they stayed in their luxury rooms and watched everything from behind the scenes, pampered and protected by the Front Man, played by Lee Byung Hun. Later, it was revealed that Oh Il Nam was the head of VIP's who played as player 001. He was dying, so he created the game for fun, a jab at how the rich are disconnected from human life and suffering. In season 3, however, these VIP's get down into the game themselves, take off their masks and kill people with their bare hands. Also read: Squid Game Season 3 ending explained: The truth about Gi Hun's fate, the mystery woman, and all survivors Director Hwang Dong Hyuk said this was intentional. He wanted to show how the rich no longer even bother to hide their power. 'In the past, those that really controlled the system and maintained power were hidden behind the curtain, almost like this big unseen conspiracy. However, it's no longer the case, especially in America,' Hwang told Time. 'We talk a lot about oligarchy these days, but these so-called big tech owners, they step up, telling everyone who they're backing with their money. They willingly take their masks off, almost as if to declare, 'We're the ones running everything. We're the ones in control,' he added. Director Hwang said that while the concept of the VIPs is not based on one person, while writing the final script, he started seeing some familiarity with the current scenario in the world. Like Elon Musk, for example. 'Elon Musk is everywhere these days, right?' Hwang said, adding, 'Everybody talks about him. Not only is he the head of a huge tech company that controls the world almost, but he's also a showman. After writing [Season 3], of course I thought, 'Oh, some of the VIPs do kind of resemble Elon Musk.'' The director even revealed that, although it was very unintentional and he didn't plan it that way, one of the VIPs also resembles US President Donald Trump. Also read: Squid Game 3 ending: 7 burning questions answered in Netflix thriller finale; future possibilities explored Hwang, during the interview, also revealed how his own struggle with money and the 2008 financial crisis shaped this story. He spoke about the recent political fights in South Korea, referring to the president's impeachment, and even the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, when some Trump supporters stormed into the building. All these events made him realise the extent people go when driven by hate and greed. He feels that people have forgotten how to disagree and now outright disregard others as evil. And with the rise of AI, algorithms, and fake news, Hwang began to ask: 'Are elections even working anymore?' In the second-last episode, players are even told to vote on who to kill next, and one option is to eliminate the baby in Gi Hun's hands. That's when one Player says, 'Let's vote on who should get eliminated, and keep it democratic, like they're not talking about murder.'
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Decoding Lauren Sanchez's $55 million wedding look: Vintage Lace, 180 buttons and peak Dolce & Gabbana drama in Venice
Move over Bridgerton, because Lauren Sanchez just gave us a lesson in billionaire bridalcore, on a floating Italian island, no less. Yes, the world's most extraordinary wedding just went down, and it was not the cake, not the guests, not even Venice that stole the show. It was a gown. And it was a masterpiece. Inside the $55 million gown that stole Venice The media mogul turned bridal goddess said 'I do' to Jeff Bezos in a Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda creation that basically screamed couture supremacy. Forget basic trains and subtle sparkles, Lauren's dress was a symphony of vintage drama, featuring a corseted waist, long sleeves and a turtleneck that oozed Victorian glamour but made it Bezos-billionaire chic. Crafted over 900 painstaking hours by D&G's artisan team, this was not just a wedding dress, it was a full-blown fashion opera. The white lace clung to Lauren's figure with eerie perfection, and the mermaid-style skirt swished dramatically down to the floor like it had been waiting for its moment on the global stage. 180 silk buttons and zero chill: Lauren's dress details Now let's talk drama. Her gown featured 180 hand-finished buttons made of silk chiffon. Not because anyone asked, but because drama demands detail. These buttons cascaded down the train like couture sprinkles, proving once and for all that the devil is in the Dolce-designed details. According to Harper's Bazaar, Lauren described the look as 'a piece of poetry,' thanking the fashion house for what she called sheer magic. And honestly? That's not an exaggeration, it's an understatement. Dolce & Gabbana's couture craftsmanship goes global This was not just a wedding; it was a press release for Dolce & Gabbana's global chokehold on couture. Jeff Bezos may have stuck to a safe black tux (also by D&G), but Lauren's ensemble screamed vintage elegance and custom creation. Lauren Sánchez is wearing a custom made BRIDAL ✨Dolce & Gabbana✨ dress for her wedding with Jeff Bezos, inspired by the look of Sophia Loren in a movie 'Houseboat' of 1958. 🪡 Before walking down the aisle, she was snapped wearing a retro white suit with a silk headscarf, a full Amalfi moment, complete with old-school glamour and modern money. A wedding that took over Venice (Literally) The wedding was held on San Giorgio Maggiore island, basically shutting down Venice for a three-day billionaire bonanza. A-list guests included Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump, and Orlando Bloom. And if that was not enough, Matteo Bocelli serenaded the couple with Can't Help Falling in Love, because of course. 🚨 Dolce & Gabbana dressed Lauren Sanchez! The Italian designers have created another masterpiece 🤍Long live the newlyweds! Word on the canal is that the couple had to move the venue last-minute from Scuola Grande della Misericordia due to protests. Yes, actual protests. Apparently not everyone is thrilled with a $55 million wedding in the middle of growing global inequality. But did that stop the extravaganza? Not one bit.
