Controversy has followed Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s relationship right from the time it began. The news of their romance surfaced in January 2019, which coincided with Bezos announcing his divorce from MacKenzie Scott, his wife of 25 years. The affair rumors hit Bezos’s reputation hard and cast a shadow over Lauren as well.
They publicly confirmed their relationship soon afterward, but netizens were not very accepting towards the couple. Many even remain convinced that their marriage is bound for failure due to its scandalous beginnings.
However, MacKenzie Scott appears to have moved on peacefully, sharing on X, “Grateful to have finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff with support from each other and everyone who reached out to us in kindness, and looking forward to the next phase as co-parents and friends.”
Despite both Bezos and Scott having moved on, the fallout from the divorce continues to impact perceptions of Jeff Bezos even now. The main reason behind this remains the fact that Bezos very likely cheated on Scott with Sánchez and therefore despite the divorce getting finalized in April 2019, the split has continued to make headlines.
Netizens, still vocal on social media, overwhelmingly support MacKenzie Scott over Lauren Sánchez. This trend persists even though Scott herself seems to avoid bitterness, and maintains that she is grateful for her past as she remains positive about her future, regardless of Bezos’ presence in it.
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Following Bezos’s wedding to Lauren Sánchez in June 2025, the public reaction was largely critical, with many social media users disparaging the union. On Lauren’s Instagram birthday post in 2024, comments frequently referenced MacKenzie Scott instead, some expressing sympathy and admiration for Scott.
One user remarked, “I feel sorry for your ex-wife, who has done so much for you to help you succeed, if it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be the person you are today, everyone knows that she is a good woman.” Others questioned the timing and tone of Bezos’s high-profile wedding, which further showed how the post-divorce effects were still swirling around the Amazon CEO.
MacKenzie Scott is a philanthropist, writer and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
After she divorced Bezos, she promised to give away half of her money over her lifetime. She has since donated more than $8 billion. She says the recipients can spend the money as they wish. pic.twitter.com/BmJTuUwam4
— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) March 20, 2022
The controversy extended beyond everyday social media users. Celebrities also voiced support for MacKenzie Scott while subtly criticizing Bezos. During the Venice festivities week, actress Mia Farrow lauded Scott’s charitable efforts, stating, “How awesome is MacKenzie Scott! … As of mid-December 2024, she had given a total of $19.3 billion to over 1600 charitable organizations,” sharing a photo of Scott on Instagram.
Her post attracted supportive comments from well-known figures like Olivia Munn and Katie Couric, showing how her divorce from Bezos has garnered Scott public admiration, whereas Bezos continues to face scrutiny for his past actions.
The real woman you should be talking about more is MacKenzie Scott.
Gets $36 billion from her divorce with Bezos. Becomes one of the richest women overnight.
What does she do?
Start building some empire?
Buy a bunch of stupid shit?Nope.
She just starts giving it all away.… pic.twitter.com/uBCy5RVrIS
— Arslan Awan🌱 | Ghostwriter (@ItsjustAwan) June 29, 2025
While Bezos and Sánchez share new chapters of their lives, the shadow of his separation from MacKenzie Scott remains. While the concerned people have never commented rudely about each other in public, netizens and prominent celebrity figures have often picked Scott’s side and have not only criticized Bezos but also made negative comments about his present wife, Lauren Sánchez.
