As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is set to marry Lauren Sánchez, his wife-to-be’s ex-husband, Patrick Whitesell, vacationed with his new love interest in Australia for the holidays.
According to the Daily Mail, Whitesell flew in a private jet to Sydney. The 59-year-old Endeavor executive landed with his 41-year-old wife, Chilean-Australian actress Pia Whitesell.
Images of the Whitesells on a luxury yacht in the Sydney Harbour hit the internet on Dec. 29. Pia changed from jeans and a tank top at the airport to a bikini for the boat ride.
Before marrying Pia in May 2021, Patrick was married to Sánchez, 55, from 2005 to 2019. The union reportedly fell apart because Lauren had an affair with Bezos beginning in 2018.
Bezos, 60, was also married at the time of the alleged extramarital relationship. The billionaire divorced novelist MacKenzie Scott (née Tuttle) in 2019 following 27 years of marriage.
“After a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends,” the couple said in a 2019 statement, per CNN.
Lauren and Patrick have two children — an 18-year-old son, Evan, and a 16-year-old daughter, Ella. She also has a 23-year-old son, Nikko, with Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Pia has two sons, 21-year-old Isaiah and 17-year-old Lennox, from two previous relationships. Bezos has three sons and a daughter with his ex-wife, Scott.
The various blended families involving Bezos, Sánchez, and Whitesell continue to be gossip fodder on the internet. For instance, Daily Mail commenters weighed in on the situation.
“Lauren Sánchez is no comparison to this woman,” one person wrote, referring to Pia, Patrick’s romantic replacement for the entertainment reporter.
A like-minded commenter added, “Lauren’s ex-husband and Bezos’s ex-wife are way better looking than the two cheaters.”
Someone else stated, “Wow, Lauren left him for Bezos???? Hmmm, that ex-husband is the winner in this situation!”
A fourth person commented, “Ex-husband definitely married up in the looks and style department.” Another comment read, “These girls don’t mess around. From billionaire to billionaire!”
Sánchez has become a divisive figure online. Over the last several months, the original host of the “So You Think You Can Dance” television competition series has faced backlash for her wardrobe.
For example, a “fall photo dump” on Instagram featured Sánchez’s sharing a photo of herself wearing a black latex Catwoman mask, bralette, and skintight pants. Critics have called Sánchez’s risqué clothes cheap and classless.
Those complaints have not stopped the media personality from posting pictures of herself in other racy outfits like the black, skin-tight dress she wore in a Dec. 20-dated Instagram post.
Rumors suggested Bezos and Sánchez planned to tie the knot in Dec. 2024. Bezos denied speculation that a lavish $600 million wedding was taking place in Aspen during the Christmas season.
“This whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The old adage ‘don’t believe everything you read’ is even more true today than it ever has been,” Bezos tweeted on Dec. 22 in response to reports of his pending nuptials.
The former wealthiest person in the world continued, “Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don’t be gullible.”
However, Page Six reports Bezos and Sánchez were recently seen shopping in Aspen. The couple’s Colorado getaway also apparently included a party at a sushi restaurant with family and friends.
