Once upon a time, Lauren Sanchez was a budding television star desperate to break into the industry. And years before that, she suffered from an undiagnosed learning disability and was passed over for a dream job on The View .
Now she's one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, socializing with Hollywood's biggest A-listers and attending the most recent events with her billionaire Amazon founder fiancé Jeff Bezos, who is worth an estimated $167 billion. Advanced activities.
This month, the 53-year-old journalist also graces the cover of one of the fashion world's most coveted magazines, Vogue.
So how did she go from struggling reporter to rising star hanging with Hollywood's elite? While her romance with Bezos undoubtedly cemented her status, Sanchez's ascension actually began long before they met.
Flight attendant was rejected for interview because of her figure
Lauren Sanchez was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a second-generation immigrant family from Mexico. Sanchez has longed to be a successful newscaster since she was a child, but due to her dyslexia (which was undiagnosed at the time), she came to believe that she couldn't do it. After graduating from high school, she turned to aviation and wanted to become a flight attendant.
After graduating from high school at the age of 18, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she applied for a job as a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines. Sanchez recalled being asked to stand on a scale during the interview process, which was standard practice for flight attendants at the time. But she didn't get the job and was told she was too big. At the time, Sanchez weighed 121 pounds (about 54.88 kilograms) but the interviewer said, "You need to be only 115 pounds."
Sanchez was so heartbroken that she was rejected. She didn't know where to go, so she decided to go back to school, and enrolled in a high school in California. El Camino College in Lens. It was there that she eventually realized she had dyslexia but also rediscovered her love for journalism after teachers encouraged her to get tested for learning disabilities.
The teacher encouraged her, saying, "You're not stupid. You just have trouble reading. Let me give you some tools on how to write." The teacher also gave Sanchez a pocket dictionary that she would carry with her. It was a life-changing experience for Sanchez, who went from a student with a meager 2.0 GPA to one of the top students and earning a scholarship to USC.
In 1992, Sanchez transferred to the University of Southern California. While studying, she worked as a desk assistant at KCOP-TV, a Los Angeles news company. In 1994, after landing a job at KTVK in Phoenix, Arizona, she left school to pursue a full-time career as a reporter. She went through several moves over the next few years, briefly working for Extra before heading to Fox Sports Network.
News Show Rejected Again
Around that time, she also auditioned for The View. When she wasn't offered the position, Sanchez considered it "one of the most devastating days of her life." The View is a talk show that airs on ABC and is co-hosted by women to discuss the day's political and social news.
During the audition process, Sanchez connected with the show's creator and anchor, Barbara Walters, who called her personally to deliver the unfortunate news that the position would eventually go to her. to Lisa Ling, causing Sanchez to cry "for days." Although another interview failed, the advice Barbara gave her during this period influenced Sanchez for a long time. "She was really helpful in my career. Not only was she someone I looked up to, but she really mentored me as I was getting ready to go on 'The View.'"
Sanchez recalled: "The producers were trying to get me to dress More reserved, she saw me and said, 'What's wrong with you?' She said, 'They're going to try to make you ordinary. Don't let them do that. If you fail, at least you're failing as yourself.' I Never forget this."Sanchez did exactly that in his subsequent career, dressing boldly and bravely pursuing what he wanted.
After hosting "Good Day LA" for six years, Sanchez founded his own aviation film and production company , titled "Black Ops Aviation." She also served as the host of the first season of So You Think You Can Dance and has appeared on Larry King Live, The Joy Behar Show, and Showbiz Tonight over the years.
Now, Sanchez will She focuses part of her time on philanthropy and serves as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Foundation, a foundation founded by Bezos dedicated to "fighting climate change and protecting nature." She is also writing her first A children's book, "Flynn, The Fly Who Flew." She recently launched another production company called Adventure Fellowship.
Additionally, Sanchez is planning an all-female outer space mission with Blue Origin in early 2024. Early In 2016, she obtained her helicopter pilot's license and has a strong passion for flying, which she once called her "calling mission."
The roller coaster journey of finding love
Before meeting Bezos, Sanchez was passionate about flying. The pursuit of love was a rollercoaster, with a marriage and multiple failed engagements, and a star-studded list of exes, including actors, famous athletes and corporate CEOs.
Her first boyfriend was famous sports anchor Rory... Rory Markas met when she was an intern at a TV station in Los Angeles during college. The two even got engaged, but Sanchez took the initiative to break up after changing jobs.
Later, she started dating NFL star Anthony Miller , the two met at the 1996 Super Bowl while he was playing for the Denver Broncos and she was a rising television reporter. The two were together for four years and engaged for a year and a half. In January 2019, Mi Le told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview about their romance and breakup, and claimed Sanchez cheated on him. "I really couldn't believe her, she was socializing. She cheated on me with other men. I discovered this while looking through her diary, and I discovered even more after breaking up with her. "
Miller also said Sanchez was very "clutching" and "she wanted me to pay for everything. She was making good money at the time, reporting for Extra and Fox Sports News, but she didn't like paying the bills. However, sources close to Sanchez disputed Miller's claims, insisting he was unfaithful. They also called the athlete an "opportunist" because two decades later, Sanchez and Bey After South's relationship was revealed, she spoke publicly about the relationship, which was considered a publicity stunt.
After she and Miller parted ways, Sanchez began a relationship with football player Toni Gonzalez. In 2002 , they had a son, Nikko Gonzalez, but later split.
She also reportedly dated actor Henry Simmons, but little is known about their romance .
Later, Lauren fell in love with Patrick Whitesell, a Hollywood agent and co-founder of Endeavor Talent Agency. The two got married in 2005 and gave birth to their son Evan Whitesell in 2006. Whitesell, who gave birth to daughter Eleanor Whitesell in 2008. They were together for more than ten years until her extramarital affair with Bezos was exposed in early 2019.
The world-famous extramarital affair
Previously because of her lively personality and thriving in the media, Sanchez has slowly been integrating herself into the world of celebrity. But it wasn't until her romance with Bezos came to light in 2019 that she truly became a centerpiece of public concern.
January 9, 2019 , Bezos tweeted to announce his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie, shocking the world. While the outside world was still speculating on the reason for the divorce, a bigger melon came. The National Enquirer exposed Sanchez and Bezos They both had extramarital affairs.
At the time, the National Enquirer's explosive report claimed that Sanchez and Bezos were involved in an eight-month romance that included Bezos flying his mistress on a $65 million private jet. Traveling to exotic locations, sending her raunchy messages and erotic selfies, and having secret rendezvous at palatial private estates. The outlet said it tracked them across five states and 40,000 miles, taking them on private jets, limousines, helicopters, romantic hikes, secluded retreats in five-star hotels, intimate dinner dates and a hidden love nest. quality time in.
After the National Enquirer published the report, Bezos wrote a long article to the publication's CEO David Pecker in response, in which he accused the company of blackmailing him. "Rather than give in to blackmail, I decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite threats of personal cost and embarrassment," Bezos wrote. "After the National Enquirer published my private text messages, I Investigators were hired to understand how the text messages were obtained and to determine the motive for many of the unusual actions taken by the National Enquirer. Then we received an offer. They said they had more of my text messages and photos if If we don't stop investigating, they will release this information and photos."
Bezos also shared emails purportedly sent to him by National Enquirer staff, which detailed what they "obtained during news interviews. of” indecent images.
Bezos added: "If I can't stand up to this kind of extortion in my position, how many people can? I certainly don't want to release personal photos, but I also will not participate in their well-known blackmail, political favors, Political attacks and acts of corruption. I prefer to stand up and turn this log over and see what crawls out."
As for how Sanchez and Bezos met, it was reportedly Sanchez's husband Patrick in 2016 The two were first introduced at the Amazon Studios party for the film Manchester By the Sea. In 2018, Sanchez's production team was hired to shoot footage for Jeff's rocket company, Blue Origin.
After their affair came to light, a source told Page Six: "Patrick and Sanchez had been socializing with Bezos and his wife for a few years, as both couples owned homes in Seattle. Then Sanchez She was hired to work on one of Bezos' projects - Blue Origin, a space launch company. She had been taking aerial photos of Bezos."
After the cheating was revealed, billionaire Bezos soon married a man of more than 25 years His wife of 20 years and mother of four children, Mackenzie Scott, divorced, and Sanchez naturally left her husband, Patrick.
High-profile romance
After splitting from their respective partners, Bezos and Sanchez didn't wait long to start flaunting their love around the world. The scandal doesn't seem to have affected them in the slightest, and may even have only pushed Sanchez further towards superstardom. Gossip is always the most eye-catching, and the world is obsessed with the woman who stole the heart of one of the world's richest men.
They were first publicly seen together in May 2019 when photographers captured them enjoying a romantic date night in New York, and in July of the same year they made their official debut as a couple at Wimbledon. Since then, the couple has made no secret of their love.
Over the past four years, they have been jetting off on a series of lavish getaways together, sharing numerous photos on social media. One non-stop interview after another, and they also attended a series of star-studded events side by side. Dating one of the richest men in the world certainly comes with its own set of perks—like dining at top restaurants, hanging out with A-list celebrities, VIP treatment wherever you go, and visiting some of the most popular people on the planet place for vacation.
Since her romance with Bezos began, Sanchez has also been expanding her wardrobe and can now often be seen carrying designer handbags and wearing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fine jewelry.
As for Bezos, this middle-aged uncle, it can be seen with the naked eye that he has changed from a standard Silicon Valley coder and IT man in a shirt to a middle-aged man who goes to medical beauty treatments, shows off his muscles, and wears fancy shirts. Although the outside world may criticize them, Bezos and Sanchez have never stopped showing off their affection everywhere.
In May, Bezos proposed to Sanchez after a romantic dinner under the stars on his mega-yacht. This month, Sanchez revealed the proposal in a joint interview with Bezos in Vogue. Sanchez described himself as "blacked out" when he saw the huge diamond ring for the first time. Bezos hid the diamond ring under her pillow, and Sanchez discovered it before going to bed at night.
When asked about their upcoming wedding, Sanchez admitted that they are still in the early stages of planning so haven't figured out many plans yet. "We're still thinking about the wedding and what it will look like. Will it be big? Will it be overseas? We don't know yet."
As for whether Sanchez will use her fiancé's last name, she admitted: "Well, yes, per cent One hundred." I'm looking forward to being Mrs. Bezos. ”
As for the billionaire Bezos, who could abandon his wife for Sanchez, he must love not just her sexy appearance, but her strong vitality. After failing to interview a flight attendant, Sanchez learned to accept his dyslexia and entered She discovered the journalism industry that she has loved since she was a child. After failing the interview for the show, she determined to be herself, regardless of failure or the outside world's opinions. Since falling in love with Bezos, she seems not to have been affected by the doubts and criticisms she has faced from the outside world, and continues to Show off love openly. The determined Sanchez uses every failure as fuel to push himself one step further.
