Who Is Lauren Sánchez? Award-Winning Journalist Marries Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez got married in a lavish, three-day celebration in Venice, Italy. She posted the first photo from the event on Instagram, captioned with their wedding date and a heart. She also changed her name on social media to 'Lauren Sánchez Bezos'.

The bride walked down the aisle wearing a high-necked, hand-appliquéd Italian lace wedding dress designed by Dolce & Gabbana. The ensemble was adorned with 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons paired with a tulle-and-lace veil, inspired by a similar veil that iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren wore in the 1958 film Houseboat.

She told Vogue, “It went from ‘I want a simple, sexy modern dress’ to ‘I want something that evokes a moment,’ and where I am right now. I am a different person than I was five years ago."

The festivities, estimated to cost €40-48 million ($46-56 million), included a welcome party at Madonna dell’Orto’s cloisters, a black-tie ceremony on San Giorgio Maggiore island featuring a performance by Matteo Bocelli, and another pre-wedding ceremony at the Arsenale—a medieval shipyard complex. 

The wedding’s opulence ignited fierce protests across Venice, with activists decrying the event as a symbol of wealth inequality and overtourism.

While Sánchez's relationship with one of the world’s richest men has kept her in the spotlight, she had already built an impressive career long before their romance made headlines. Here's everything we know about her:

Who is Lauren Sánchez Bezos?

Lauren Sánchez belongs to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is a renowned media personality in America. While studying journalism at the University of Southern California (USC), she also pursued an internship at LA’s Channel 13.

She joined KTVK-TV in Phoenix as a reporter and later became anchor and correspondent for the sports magazine Going Deep under Fox Sports Net, which earned her an Emmy nomination.

Her anchoring for UPN 13 News at KCOP-TV channel won her the first Emmy Award in 1999. She became the first Hispanic woman (Spanish-speaking person, especially one of Latin American descent, living in America) to hold the position of an 11 o'clock anchor at Channel 13.

In 2000, she won the runner-up title in the nationwide hosting competition during season 2 of The View. Lauren Sánchez was named among the 50 Most Beautiful in People magazine in 2010 and has been featured in the Hot Bodies issue of US Weekly. 

She has appeared in many television shows like Days of Our Lives in 2010 and Rake in 2014, and collaborated with famous movies like Dunkirk, Girlfriend's Day (2017), Ted 2(2015), and White House Down(2013), among others.

Sanchez is the founder and helicopter pilot for Black Ops Aviation, which is an aerial filming company established in 2016. She has also worked as an anchor for Good Day L.A., an American morning television news and entertainment program by Fox in Los Angeles.

She is also the Vice Chairperson of Bezos Earth Fund, a fund set up to fight against climate change and protect nature through a $10 billion commitment by founder Jeff Bezos.

Travelling to space

In April 2025, Sánchez took her passion for flying to new heights when she became part of a space flight, joining an all-female crew who were launched to the edge of space by Bezos’ Blue Origin NS-31 rocket for a brief, 10-minute journey.

According to Blue Origin, Sánchez “brought the mission together”, personally selecting her fellow travellers, which included journalist Gayle King, singer Katy Perry, and research scientist and activist Amanda Nguyen. She also partnered with luxury fashion brand Monse to help design custom flight suits for the mission.

Personal Life

Sánchez has a son named Nicco who was born in 2001 from her relationship with Anthony David Gonzalez, who played for the National Football League in the United States. She married Patrick Whitesell, founding partner at Endeavour talent agency and a Hollywood agent, in 2005 and has a son and a daughter with him.

However, the couple divorced in 2019, following rumours of Sanchez having an "affair" with tech giant Jeff Bezos. Bezos posted a disco-themed picture with Lauren Sánchez celebrating the New Year party in St Barth on January 2, 2022. The post made a buzz after Sánchez commented, "I love you, baby. For every reason and no reason."