How many children does Jeff Bezos have? Everyone in Bezos and Sánchez's blended family
All eyes are on billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who is getting ready to tie the knot with long-time fiancée Lauren Sánchez in a lavish ceremony in Venice, Italy.
The grand wedding of the fourth-richest person in the world in Italy's historic city has caused consternation online and in Venice and even forced the couple to change venues last-minute.
Celebrations for the wedding kicked off June 26 and a parade of stars, from Oprah Winfrey to the Kardashian-Jenners and Ivanka Trump were seen arriving in Venice for the event, reported to be spread over three days between June 26 and 28.
Both Bezos, 61, and Sánchez, 55, were previously married to separate people and the upcoming nuptials mark their second marriages. The two, who have children from prior relationships and marriages, now share seven children between them.
Sánchez, in a January 2023 interview, with the Wall Street Journal, referred to their blended family as "the Brady Bunch!"
"On a typical Saturday, we hang out, we have dinner with the kids, which is always fun because you never know where the conversation is going to go with this many kids," she told the media outlet.
Here's what to know about Bezos and Sánchez's blended family.
Who are Jeff Bezos' parents?
Bezos is the son of Jacklyn Bezos and Ted Jorgensen, who married when they were still teenagers. However, his biological father was never in the picture and Jacklyn's new husband Miguel Bezos adopted him, according to a 1999 Wired profile.
"The reality, as far as I'm concerned, is that my Dad is my natural father," Bezos told the magazine. "The only time I ever think about it, genuinely, is when a doctor asks me to fill out a form."
Miguel, who along with Jackie, were among the first investors in Amazon, putting in nearly $250,000, according to Bloomberg, was photographed arriving in Venice ahead of the wedding.
Jorgensen, meanwhile, had no clue he was the biological father of Amazon billionaire until late 2012 when Brad Stone, a Bloomberg Businessweek reporter and author of "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon" contacted him, USA TODAY previously reported.
"I didn't know where he was, if he had a good job or not, or if he was alive or dead," Jorgensen reportedly told Stone. "I wasn't a good father or a good husband."
People reported Jorgensen died in 2015.
Who is Jeff Bezos' former wife?
Bezos was previously married to influential philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, 55, who helped build Amazon in its early days. The two married in 1993 in Seattle and were married for 25 years before their divorce was finalized in 2019.
Scott, the American Book Award winner, has gone on to write two novels and become a celebrated do-gooder, providing sizable contributions to educational and racial equity causes and quietly redefining modern philanthropy.
Jeff Bezos divorce: How much money did MacKenzie Scott get?
How many children does Jeff Bezos have?
Bezos shares four children with former wife MacKenzie Scott: three sons and a daughter. The tech tycoon is notoriously private about his children, and little is known about them. Bezos has never publicly revealed the names or birth dates of his three younger kids, according to Today.
The former couple's eldest child Preston made a rare appearance with his father at the American Portrait Gala at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in 2019.
Today and People reported Bezos and Scott adopted their daughter from China, though it is not known when.
Who did Lauren Sánchez previously date and marry?
Sánchez was previously married to media giant Patrick Whitesell. The former couple were married from 2005 to 2019. Whitesell, 60, has since remarried.
She was also in a relationship with former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, with whom she has a son.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Sánchez opened up about her coparenting relationship with Gonzalez, describing him and his wife, October, as two of her best friends.
"Tony and his wife (October 'Tobie' Gonzalez) are my best friends," Sánchez told the newspaper. "It wasn't always that way. There was friction (at the beginning). But Tony and Tobie were at Thanksgiving with us (this year), and we're really good friends."
The two are reportedly also set to attend Sánchez's nuptials with Bezos, according to People magazine.
Lauren Sánchez's first husband: Who is Patrick Whitesell?
How many children does Lauren Sánchez have?
Lauren Sánchez has three children.
She has two children with Whitesell: Evan Whitesell, born in 2006 and Ella Whitesell, born in 2008, according to People.
She also has a son with Gonzalez, Nikko Gonzalez, 24.
Contributing: Greta Cross, Taijuan Moorman, Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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