Bezos’ $56 Million Second Wedding Celebrates A Divorce Culture
The summary discusses the recent wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice,which reportedly cost over $56 million. Both individuals, having been previously married, face daunting statistics regarding second marriages-approximately 67% end in divorce, with some estimates as high as 90% when both partners have been married before. Their history includes a romantic relationship that began while they were still married to others, further complicating their potential for marital longevity.
The article explores various factors that may negatively influence their marriage’s success, including their cohabiting prior to marriage, their age (Bezos is 61 and Sanchez is 55), and their social circles, which include several high-profile celebrities known for their divorces. Furthermore, research suggests that divorce can be intergenerational, implying that their past relationship experiences could affect their children’s future marriages.
While wealth generally offers some level of protection for couples, the nature of their celebrity status might counteract that benefit. Studies indicate that celebrity couples are more likely to divorce than the general population. Ultimately, despite the lavish celebrations, the article suggests that the newlyweds’ marriage faces meaningful challenges, and while there’s a desire for their union to succeed-for the sake of their children-the evidence points to a higher likelihood of failure rather than success.
If you’ve followed the news over the past week, it’s been impossible to avoid the non-stop ticker of the Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez wedding parade in Venice. The week-long festivities reportedly cost upwards of $56 million. An especially disconcerting fact, given the poor chances of marital success. Odds so abysmal in fact that certain casino games carry a better chance of return on investment.
A Generational Trend
Approximately 67 percent of all second marriages end in divorce. One divorce law firm contends the rate may be as high as 90 percent when both spouses have been married before.
This is the second marriage for both Bezos and Sanchez. Bezos married his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, with whom he built his Amazon empire, in 1993 and divorced her in 2019 after 25 years of marriage. The pair have four grown children, whom Scott raised as a full-time stay-at-home mom.
Sanchez, also previously married, has three grown children. Her first child, with former NFL player Tony Gonzalez, was born out of wedlock. In 2005, she married Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell, with whom she had a son and a daughter. Like Bezos, she also divorced her spouse in 2019.
The fact that Bezos divorced once and has the propensity to do so again is no surprise. He is a child of divorce himself. Research demonstrates divorce is intergenerational with “each parental breakup experienced while growing up increas[ing] the odds of dissolving a relationship by 16 percent.” Statistically speaking, the divorce of Bezos’ parents impacted his own divorce, which, in turn, indicates he’ll pass on the likelihood to his own children. The same is true for Sanchez and the legacy she leaves for her own children based on her divorce from Whitesell. And if Bezos and Sanchez divorce? Then, the potential outcomes for their children is compounded yet again. The devastation of divorce is real and well-documented.
Their Story Isn’t Promising For a Successful Marriage
The newlyweds met in 2016, reconnected in 2018 and allegedly began an affair while still married to other people. In 2019, they moved in together and got engaged in 2023.
Research suggests infidelity doesn’t bode well for marital longevity either. Some research indicates that marriages built on infidelity could fail in as little as two years. Another study shows the divorce rate for such marriages is 75 percent within five years. Anna Wintour’s last act as editor-in-chief of Vogue, posing Sanchez on the cover in her wedding gown, continues the glamorization of divorce in our culture that has devastated millions of families and caused lifelong trauma to spouses.
The phrase “you’re known by the company you keep” applies in marriages as well. The company the newlyweds keep could also negatively impact the success of their marriage. According to researchers at Brown and Harvard Universities, divorce is contagious, with the risk of breakup increasing by 75 percent for those with a divorced friend. Sanchez’s close gal pals include Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Eva Longoria, and Charissa Thompson — all serial divorcees. (Other friends like Gayle King and Katy Perry have only one divorce so far.)
The couple lived together for six years before tying the knot. Their cohabitating lifestyle is a strike against them too. Gray divorce rates have skyrocketed in the last few decades — Bezos is 61 and Sanchez is 55. Little is known about the couple’s religious beliefs, though if they had any we’d most likely know since everything else in their life has been dissected for public view. Too bad, their belief in a higher power could help divorce-proof their relationship.
Does their marriage have anything going for it? Wealth in general offers some protection to married couples, but it’s definitely not a cure-all, especially in their situation. Their wealthy celebrity status actually constitutes a strike against them.
“Our research confirms that the glamour of celebrity weddings is a poor indicator of future marital success,” says Harry Benson, research director at The Marriage Foundation. According to the Foundation’s research, after 10 years of marriage, celebrity couples have double the chance of divorce compared with the general population.
That is, if the newlyweds make it that long. The median number of years for second marriages before they end in divorce is seven years. If they do divorce, keep your eyes on the news in 2032. Of the two, Sanchez will also be the most likely to file — women are far more likely to file for divorce than men.
Despite the statistical doom and gloom surrounding this fairytale extravaganza, should we want it to succeed? As a matter of decency, yes. As a matter of not putting their children through yet another family breakup, yes. But, not if the fairytale is used to bolster the myth of the good divorce — the argument that the kids and family will fare better if the parents are “loving and supportive,” and civil to one another despite their separation. Not if their marriage becomes an example to claim that intact families don’t matter and that real families aren’t suffering from the scourge of no-fault divorce in our country. Such celebrity stories should not celebrate the shredding of our most sacred, foundational institution.
Beverly Willett is the author of “Disassembly Required: A Memoir of Midlife Resurrection.” She has written for The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Examiner, First Things, The New York Post, and many more. A former NYC litigator and copyright attorney, she co-founded the Coalition for Divorce Reform. Contact her at beverlywillett.com and follow her on X @BeverlyWillett.
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