Jeff Bezos is denying reports that he carried out an affair with Lauren Sanchez. In a legal letter to the National Enquirer, the outlet that broke the story about the alleged affair, he reportedly wrote that he was already separated from his wife MacKenzie when he struck up a relationship with Sanchez.
Sources close to the situation told The Blast that the Amazon CEO’s legal team sent a letter to the news outlet Wednesday night, threatening litigation and clarifying the situation.
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The Blast also reports that Bezos claimed he “supports journalistic efforts and does not intend to discourage reporting about him,” but maintains that he did not cheat on his wife.
Sources close to the Enquirer told The Blast that the publication stands by its reporting.
Bezos and MacKenzie reportedly aren’t rushing for a divorce until after details are worked out in mediation. Sanchez, a former Extra host, and her estranged husband, Patrick Whitesell, are reportedly mediating the end of their own marriage.
As previously reported, Bezos and Sanchez struck up a relationship eight months ago.
Bezos and MacKenzie, who have been married for 25 years, share four children: three sons and a daughter. Sanchez has two children with Whitesell, a WWE/IMG agent, and she also has a 17-year-old son with ex Tony Gonzalez.
Whitesell, Sanchez and Bezos were photographed together in 2016 while promoting the Amazon-distributed award-winner Manchester by the Sea, which starred Whitesell’s client Michelle Williams.
Bezos and MacKenzie announced their separation in a joint statement this week.
“We want to make people aware of a development in our lives. As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends,” the statement shared via Twitter read. “We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again.”
The joint statement concluded: “We’ve had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures. Though the labels might be different, we remain a family, and we remain cherished friends.”
The two married in 1993 after meeting in New York while working at an investment management firm. The two moved to Seattle, where Bezos founded Amazon, of which MacKenzie was one of the first employees.
