Lauren Sánchez

Lauren Wendy Sánchez (born December 19, 1969) is an American journalist, author and philanthropist who gained fame as an entertainment reporter and news anchor. She is a licensed pilot and founder of Black Ops Aviation. In 2023, she became engaged to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Sánchez has been a guest host on The View, co-host on KTTV Fox 11's Good Day L.A. and anchor on the Fox 11 News at Ten, and anchor and special correspondent on Extra. She has also been a regular contributor on shows including Larry King Live, The Joy Behar Show and Showbiz Tonight.
In 2024, Sánchez released her debut children's book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, which became a New York Times bestseller.
On February 27, 2025, it was announced that Sánchez would be a part of the crew for Blue Origin's eleventh flight to space under the New Shepard program, along with Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Kerianne Flynn and fellow journalist Gayle King. The launch is expected to take place on April 14, 2025. This launch would make both Sánchez and King the first female journalists to ever fly to space.
Lauren Wendy Sánchez was born on December 19, 1969, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Ray Sánchez, an aviation businessman, and Eleanor Sánchez, a former Los Angeles assistant deputy mayor. A third-generation Mexican-American, she attended Del Norte High School, participating in cheerleading and student assembly, and working at The Beach water park. After graduating high school in 1987, Sánchez studied acting and speech at the University of New Mexico. She later moved to California and attended El Camino College, where she was diagnosed with dyslexia after a professor identified her learning differences. This diagnosis has led her to support the International Dyslexia Association and advocate for more inclusive educational systems. She subsequently studied communications at the University of Southern California. In 1990, she won the international Models World Magazine Cover Girl Competition.
Sánchez began her career as a desk assistant at KCOP-TV in Los Angeles. She also held positions as an anchor and reporter at KTVK-TV in Phoenix before joining the syndicated entertainment show Extra as a reporter. From there, Sánchez moved to Fox Sports Net, where she earned an Emmy nomination as anchor and correspondent for the sports magazine Going Deep, served as an anchor for Fox Sports News Primetime and later was an entertainment reporter for FSN's Best Damn Sports Show Period.
In 1999, Sánchez returned to KCOP-TV to anchor UPN News 13, where her team won an Emmy Award. In 1999. Sánchez was co-host on KTTV Fox 11's Good Day LA and anchor on the Fox 11 News at Ten. She was the runner-up in the nationwide hosting competition during season 2 of The View in February 2000. The position was ultimately given to Lisa Ling. In 2005, Sánchez became the original host of FOX's popular dancing competition So You Think You Can Dance. Sánchez left the show after one season to have her second child. In 2009, Sánchez returned to Extra as weekend anchor and special correspondent. Sánchez continues to occasionally work on Good Day LA, Extra and other TV shows.
Sánchez was featured in People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" issue in 2010 and Us Weekly's "Hot Bodies" issue.
In 2016, after learning to fly at age 40 and getting her pilot's license, she founded Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned aerial film and production company. Sánchez focuses on film and television projects which allow her to use her skills as a licensed pilot. In 2024, she received the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award at the Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards for her expertise as a helicopter pilot and aviation businesswoman.
In 2024, Sanchez released her first children's book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, a story about a fly named Flynn who doesn't do well in school but is curious about life and accidentally gets stuck in the cockpit of a rocket that heads into space. The story is inspired by Sanchez' life and her struggles with dyslexia. It debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list on September 29, 2024.
In February 2025, Sánchez was announced as a crew member for the first all-female flight aboard the New Shepard rocket, dubbed NS-31. The mission is slated to launch no earlier than April 14, 2025.
Sánchez is the vice-chairperson of Bezos Earth Fund, and helped promote their Greening America's Cities initiative, a seven-year $400 million commitment to help create and enhance greenspaces in underserved communities. In March 2024, she pledged to donate $60 million to create centers that would focus on biomanufacturing and climate change. In October 2024, Sánchez and Bezos pledged $60 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to enable the restoration and improved management of 1,600,000 acres (2,500 square miles) of land across more than a dozen states. Sanchez was also honored by American nonprofit environmental organization Conservation International with its Global Visionary Award for her commitment to supporting pressing nature issues. Sánchez is part of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award which as of 2024 has granted $400 million to philanthropists. She also works with the Bezos Day One Fund, which helps homeless families with housing and free preschool education. Sánchez makes trips across the United States–Mexico border with This is About Humanity, an organization dedicated to providing support for separated and reunified families at the border. She was honored by the organization at their annual fundraising event in 2023.
Sánchez's son, Nikko, was born in February 2001. His father is former National Football League tight end Tony Gonzalez.
In August 2005, she married Patrick Whitesell, a Hollywood agent and founding partner of Endeavor talent agency. Their son, Evan, was born in 2006, and their daughter, Ella, was born in 2008.
In 2018, Sánchez had an extramarital affair with businessman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, while they were both married. In January 2019, Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Scott, released a joint statement that they would be getting divorced, after 25 years together. In February 2019, Bezos published a statement alleging that National Enquirer publisher American Media, Inc. had attempted blackmail and extortion, in connection with Bezos's affair with Sánchez. In April 2019, Bezos' divorce was finalized, and Sánchez and Whitesell filed for divorce, which was finalized in October 2019. In 2020, Sánchez was commonly described as Bezos' girlfriend. On May 22, 2023, Sánchez and Bezos became engaged.
Sánchez has also made cameo appearances in films and television series, including in the following: