How Lauren Sánchez's Kids Were Involved In The Bezos Wedding
Unless you've been hiding under a rock over the past few months, you're probably very familiar with the name Lauren Sánchez — or Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as she is now called.
Lauren married Amazon founder Jeff Bezos last week at a star-studded wedding in Venice, attended by everyone from Oprah to Usher. And while her name's been in a lot of headlines this year, you may not know much about Lauren, aside from her marriage to Jeff and her recent trip to space with Katy Perry.
So, Lauren is an Emmy-winning former journalist who's worked for outlets like Fox Sports Net and Extra. She's also a licensed helicopter pilot and, in 2016, became the first woman to own an aerial film production company, Black Ops Aviation.
Away from her professional life, Lauren is a mom to three children. She shares her oldest son, 24-year-old Nikko, with her ex-boyfriend, former NFL player Tony Gonzalez. Nikko graduated from college last year and is already beginning to step into the limelight. In 2024, he made his runway debut in Milan, walking in Dolce & Gabbana's Fall/Winter menswear show.
After Lauren and Tony broke up, she married Patrick Whitesell, a Hollywood talent agent, in 2005. They welcomed two kids together: 19-year-old Evan and 17-year-old Ella. We don't know much about Evan and Ella, although you may have seen that, earlier this month, Evan reportedly celebrated his 19th birthday with a foam party aboard Jeff's $500 million super-yacht off the coast of Europe, as you do.
Jeff also has four kids with his ex-wife, and, from what we see, the children of the newly married couple seem to lead pretty low-key lives. Now, in an exclusive interview about the wedding with Vogue, Lauren shared some insight into her close relationship with her children as she discussed their involvement in the nuptials ahead of the big day.
In a departure from tradition, the interview revealed plans for Evan and Nikko to walk their mom down the aisle, wearing Dolce and Gabbana suits to match Lauren's D&G gown. The writer, Chloe Malle, noted that Lauren was 'tearing up' while envisioning the moment.
And her sons weren't the only ones in suits. Lauren shared that her daughter, Ella, also opted to wear a suit while carrying out her maid of honor duties. 'Ella's original; she beats to her own drum,' Lauren said. 'She had never had a fitting before, and she loved it. She's going to look amazing. It has been the most fun dressing all the kids.'
Adorably, Nikko's dad, Tony, was in attendance at the wedding with his new wife. It sounds like happy families indeed!
You can read the full Vogue story here.
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2 hours ago
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3 hours ago
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The judge thanked the alternate jurors, adding that they would get his personal phone number "if you have any questions, if you would like a tour of the courthouse, anything I can do." Subramanian also thanked attorneys on both sides. "The case was really exceptionally tried," he said, thanking both the prosecutorial and defense teams for letting younger lawyers take on substantial parts of the case. "It's vital to the profession," he said. While the jury deliberates, Combs will remain in jail. He had a request for books he could bring with him, though the specific works weren't released publicly. Diddy trial jury can't watch news, research case online Subramanian reiterated that jurors cannot conduct any independent research, including going online or watching the news while they're deliberating. The jurors should not judge Combs for deciding not to testify, he added. "Remember at all times you are not partisans, you are judges of the fact," Subramanian said. The jury was dismissed to deliberate at 11:30 a.m. There was a brief objection from prosecutors about evidence provided to the jury, specifically some Blackberry messages that they said had leading subject lines. That included one that read "I'm so horny, I can't concentrate" and others about Combs doing whatever he wanted sexually. The judge agreed that all the subject lines in the evidence should be neutral. What happens next? Subramanian began delivering legal instructions to the jury in Manhattan federal court on June 30. Once the judge finishes, the 12-member jury will begin deliberating. What is Diddy's net worth? Still wealthy, but now worth almost half as much: Forbes In 2024, Forbes magazine estimated Combs' net worth at $400 million – a significant drop from its 2019 figure of $740 million. Both Combs and his team later claimed he was a billionaire, Forbes said, despite offering no documentation to back up the claim. According to publicly available documents and news reports, Combs' most valuable personal possession is likely his 17,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom mansion, appraised at more than $61 million, in the tony Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles. It was raided as part of a criminal probe and listed for sale last September. Diddy's lawyer encourages jurors to 'return' him 'to his family' Appealing to jurors as Combs' "peers" and praising the country's due process, Agnifilo told the jury on June 27: "Today, you guys are the United States of America. This is your house. I'm asking you to acquit Sean Combs." He added that Combs "sits there innocent. Return him to his family, who have been waiting for him." He took aim again at U.S. attorneys when he said, "The Cassie lawsuit went out, and these guys wanted to make a case because of Sean Combs. It's not a real case." Prosecutors say Diddy's exes Cassie and 'Jane,' former assistant 'Mia' have 'no reason to lie' Contradicting Agnifilo during the June 27 hearing, Comey said participation in Combs' alleged sexual performances was different from preferences for the beach or lemonade: These women were awake for days, covered in oil, wearing 8-inch heels, often with a UTI and having unprotected sex with strangers, she said. "What the defense is suggesting is that these women lied to you repeatedly," Comey said. "But these women have no reason to lie. They have no motive to lie at all." Comey also talked about the confusing feelings about untangling love and abuse, noting victims will often try to justify what happened to them. "Finding meaning and happiness in trauma does not mean the trauma never happened," Comey said. "It's healing." Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more Did Diddy's trial charges get dropped? No, none of the charges from Combs' federal indictment have been formally dropped. But in a June 24 letter to Judge Subramanian, prosecutors revealed they were withdrawing some of their criminal allegations ahead of closing arguments. U.S. attorneys said they don't want jurors to consider their previous claims that Combs allegedly engaged in racketeering by attempting kidnapping in California and New York, attempting arson in California, and aiding and abetting sex trafficking. The move was made as part of an effort to "streamline" jury instructions. Despite the tossed allegations, Combs' indictment accused him not just of attempting arson and kidnapping, but also of committing these crimes outright as part of a criminal conspiracy. Is Diddy in jail? The disgraced music mogul is in custody, and despite repeated attempts at bail, has remained confined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024. Has Diddy trial reached a verdict? No, a verdict has not yet been reached in Combs' criminal case. After more than a month of harrowing testimony from several of Combs' associates, the prosecution rested its case on June 24. Meanwhile, Combs' lawyers rested their case in less than half an hour, with the defense opting not to call any witnesses to the stand. Although the music mogul's alleged abuse is at the center of the trial, Combs told the court he would not be testifying. Closing arguments concluded June 27. Jury deliberations are expected to begin Monday, June 30, following instructions from Judge Subramanian. What is Diddy charged with? Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him. What is racketeering? Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have on video. How to stream the Diddy trial The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates. Contributing: USA TODAY staff, Reuters If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) and and en Español If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
