In January Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced on Twitter that that he and his novelist wife Mackenzie Bezos were planning to divorce after 25 years of marriage “after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation”.
Shortly afterwards, the National Enquirer and other outlets began to report that Bezos was dating TV personality and helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez.
Although Lauren and Bezos have yet to formally confirm or deny their relationship, the Enquirer published a series of intimate texts exchanged between the pair.
Now this week The Wall Street Journal has reported that Lauren’s brother and former manager and publicist Michael Sanchez reportedly leaked the texts to the press for the sum of $200,000.
Beyond her rumoured relationship with Jeff Bezos, Lauren is a respected journalist with a series of feature film credits under her belt - as well as a helicopter license and experience behind the camera. Here's what you need to know about her.
Who is Lauren Sanchez?
Lauren Sanchez is a Latina former news personality and helicopter pilot, who currently runs an aerial film production company called Black Ops Aviation. Prior to that, she was a well known TV anchor and journalist on KTTV’s Good Day LA and had further stints as a host on So You Think You Can Dance, Extra and Fox Sports. She has also starred in films including Fight Club, The Day After Tomorrow, Fantastic 4 and television show NCIS.
After leaving journalism, she worked briefly for production company Pursuit Productions before deciding to commit to her aviation training. She was eventually licensed to fly planes in 2011, then later helicopters in June 2016.
How old is Lauren Sanchez?
Lauren is 49 years old. She was born on 19 December, 1969.
What is Lauren Sanchez’s net worth?
Celebrity Net Worth estimated that Lauren Sanchez’s net worth is valued at $30 million, based on her reporting work and filmography.
Does Lauren Sanchez have Instagram?
Lauren does have an Instagram, however the account is private. Her handle is @heli_of_a_view and she refers to herself as Lauren Sanchez-Whitesell in her bio. Whitesell is a reference to her husband Patrick Whitesell, who she is in the process of divorcing.
Despite having a private account, she has amassed a following of 10.6k followers.
Is Lauren Sanchez married?
Lauren Sanchez is married to Patrick Whitesell, who is the co-CEO of talent agency William Morris Endeavour. They were married in 2005 and have two children together. (Lauren also has another son from her first marriage to NFL player Tony Gonzales.) Business Insider claimed that they had separated in autumn last year but People also reported that the pair were still living together. They are said to be in the process of divorcing.
People’s source said, “Over the last two or three years, their marriage felt more like a business relationship. They both were doing their own thing.”
Is Lauren Sanchez dating Jeff Bezos?
Multiple outlets including the National Enquirer and Page Six have reported that Lauren is currently dating Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The Enquirer revealed alleged details of their relationship, as well as a number of intimate texts that they claimed the pair sent to one another. According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, Lauren’s brother Michael Sanchez is said to have sold the messages for $200,000 to the paper’s publisher American Media Inc..
Lauren and Bezos are both currently separated, but not divorced from their partners. Lauren is still technically married to Hollywood superstar agent Patrick Whitesell and Town and Country reported they separated last autumn. Bezos is currently married to novelist Mackenzie Bezos, however the pair have also since separated and announced their intentions to divorce in a joint statement at the start of the year.
Bezos’ divorce settlement has been a hot topic of conversation, as it could potentially see Mackenzie Bezos become the richest woman in the world.
Fox News reported earlier this year that at the end of last year, Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos had been seen looking for their “potential dream house” in Bel-Air, California. They reported that the house they viewed was a three level home with nine bedrooms, fifteen baths, a wine cellar and a view over Los Angeles. Fox continued that by this point, the pair had allegedly “told their spouses that they wanted to leave their marriages”.
Lauren and Bezos are said to have met through her husband Patrick Whitesell, the co-CEO of mammoth Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavour. The pair were spotted at various events together including a screening of Manchester by the Sea. Page Six also reported that Bezos is said to have hired Sanchez to help film aerial shots for his space launch company Blue Origin.
A source claimed to People, ““Lauren and Jeff have been spending a lot of time together over the last year and especially the past few months,At first it was socially at parties… here and there. But their time together has definitely seemed to evolve, raising some eyebrows. Jeff has met a small group of Lauren’s girlfriends, too.”
Did Lauren’s brother Michael Sanchez sell texts between her and Jeff Bezos?
Alleged text messages with a sexual undertone between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were published by the National Enquirer, which naturally led many to wonder how exactly they were acquired. One of the most noted texts was one which Jeff reportedly sent to Lauren which read, “I love you, alive girl. I will show you with my body, and my lips and my eyes, very soon.”
Earlier this year, the LA Times reported that private investigators working for Bezos were said to have “found that Michael Sanchez had leaked the texts to The Enquirer”. Michael is Lauren’s brother and former manager and publicist.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with insiders who claimed Michael had been paid $200,000 by the Enquirer’s publisher American Media Inc. (AMI). WSJ also reported that after reaching out to Michael, he had refused to “dignify” the claim and called them “old rumors”.
Prior to the report, Michael said to Vanity Fair, “I’m not saying I didn’t do something. Until I go under oath, what I can tell you now is that ever since April 20, when I met Jeff, my only goal has been to protect Jeff and Lauren.”
He continued, “The truth will come out about my motivations and how much I believe in Jeff and Lauren’s love. It’s a legendary romance that will blow your mind as to just how in love they are.”
Following the release of the text messages, Bezos claimed that AMI also threatened to release intimate images of him unless he ceased his investigation into how The National Enquirer had obtained his private messages.
He published emails between himself and AMI which he claimed showed “the precise details of their extortionate proposal”, which he said included asking him and his investigator Gavin de Becker to make a “false public statement to the press” that they believed the attack was not politically motivated. (AMI is linked to President Donald Trump, who Bezos has frequently spoken out against, and have admitted that they had previously suppressed stories about Trump in the lead up to his election.)
However Michael Sanchez claimed to Vanity Fair, “I had nothing to do with the leak of the d**k pics. That’s the important thing. I never had access. It’s clear they were sent to others. There are, like, 20 d**k pics.”
He speculated that Lauren “likely shared [the images] with multiple girlfriends”, however the source of the leak is as of yet unknown. The Washington Post has also reported that Lauren and Michael are no longer on speaking terms.
