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7 things you should know about Lauren Sanchez

After years of dating, sources confirm Sanchez and Jeff Bezos are engaged.


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
MAY 24, 2023 4:56 PM EDT

Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos are one of the world’s most notorious couples. But before the two took the world by storm, Sanchez had a prolific career in entertainment and television. She is a proud mom of three kids, a passionate and active advocate for the climate change cause, a helicopter pilot, and a total powerhouse.

Here are seven things you should know about Sanchez:

She’s a well known media personality

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Sanchez has a long career in television and entertainment. She was one of the hosts of “So You Think You Can Dance,” and a co-host from 2011 to 2017 on Fox’s “Good Day LA.” She’s been a guest co-host on “The View,” and has been featured in various films, including “Ted 2,” “The Longest Yard,” and more. She was also an entertainment reporter for Extra.

She has three kids

Sanchez has three kids from previous relationships. She has her eldest son, Nikko Gonzalez, that she shares with her ex Tony Gonzalez, and Evan and Ella Whitesell, with her ex Patrick Whitesell.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Sanchez revealed that she and Bezos consider themselves “The Brady Bunch,” having plenty of kids in between them. While she has her own kids, Bezos has four kids that he shares with his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott. According to Sanchez, they “never know where the conversation is going to go with this many kids.”

She’s a pilot

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Sanchez is also a helicopter pilot, specializing in aerial filming. This means that she can fly helicopters for movies. “I had my job, I had a career, and then I found a calling,” she said to The Hollywood Reporter. "I loved entertainment and I loved filming, and so I got to combine all of it."

Sanchez has worked as a consultant for various films, including Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning “Dunkirk.”

She’s passionate about climate change

Sanchez and Bezos have plenty of things in common, with one of the main ones being climate change. The two have taken on various missions in different parts of the globe to advocate for climate change, including Colombia, where they traveled to Chiribiquete National Park to discuss deforestation and provide the support of the Bezos Earth Fund.

She’s going to space

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Earlier this year, it was revealed that Sanchez plans to take part in an all-women space flight in early 2024. She’d be taking on the adventure aboard the Blue Origin rocket.

"It's going to be women who are making a difference in the world and who are impactful and have a message to send," she said to the Wall Street Journal. She revealed that Bezos, who owns Blue Origin, would be watching and cheering from the sidelines.

So far, Blue Origin has launched six flights with passengers to space.

She’s written a children’s book

Aside from piloting helicopters, running initiatives to save the planet, and planning a space trip, Sanchez has also made the time to write a children’s book. Titled “Flynn, The Fly Who Flew,” the book will be released this year. “I was in the helicopter, and there was a fly,” she said to the Wall Street Journal. “‘Oh my gosh, look, a fly who flew! This is such a great children’s book.’ And it stuck. Except now it’s a rocket.”

She and Bezos got engaged in May 2023

"The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power" World Premiere – Arrivals© GettyImages
Bezos and Sanchez at the premiere of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power”

After dating for various years, Sanchez and Bezos have confirmed the news of their engagement. “Her friends are thrilled Jeff finally popped the question,” said a source to PEOPLE. “They have been talking about it for a long time. All of her friends say this is her dream come true. She found the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with and they felt the time was right.”