She’s set tomarry Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. But who is the pilot and Emmy Award-winning journalistLauren Sánchez– and how did she go from local news to the edge of space?
Born in New Mexico in 1969 and raised in California, Sánchez studied at El Camino College and later the University of Southern California. According to heralma mater’s website, at the time she was known as Wendy Sánchez.
She launched her broadcasting career at KTVK-TV in Phoenix, and went on to appear on the “Extra” news magazine show, co-hosted “Good Day LA,” and served as the original host of the dancing competition series “So You Think You Can Dance.”
At 40, Sánchez became a licenced helicopter pilot – a pursuit inspired by her father, a flight instructor. In 2016, she founded Black Ops Aviation – the first female-owned aerial film production company. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, the company consulted on Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk.”
“I had my job, I had a career, and then I found a calling,” she told the publication. “I loved entertainment and I loved filming, and so I got to combine all of it.”
The 55-year-old also serves as the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and is dedicated to “fighting climate change and the protection of nature, as well as early childhood education, programming, and housing support,” according tothe fund’s website.
In 2025, Sánchez was one of thesix female passengerswho were launched to the edge of space by Bezos’ Blue Origin NS-31 rocket for a brief, 10-minute journey.
She “brought the mission together,” according to Blue Origin, and personally selected her fellow space travelers, who included journalist Gayle King, singer Katy Perry and research scientist and rape survivor Amanda Nguyen. Sánchez also worked with luxury fashion house Monse to design new flight suits for the mission.
She said the view from space was not what she expected.
“Earth looked so – it was so quiet,”she said. “And you look at it, and you’re like, ‘We’re all in this together.’”
Sánchez also authored a children’s book, “The Fly Who Flew to Space,” published in English and Spanish in 2024. The book tells a story of a fly named Flynn who travels to space and returns with a newfound commitment to the planet – a narrative Sánchez described toPeopleas “a metaphor for curiosity and the pursuit of dreams.”
She has three children: a son, Nikko, with former NFL player Tony Gonzalez; and son Evan and daughter Ella with ex-husband Patrick Whitesell, an entertainment executive. In a 2023 interview withThe Wall Street Journal, Sánchez said she maintains a close relationship with Gonzalez and his wife, describing them as her “best friends.”
Sánchez and Bezos, 61, went public with their relationship in 2019 after Bezos announced his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Scott. The pair got engaged in May 2023.
In January, Sánchez accompanied Bezos at US President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. During the ceremony, the couple were seated next to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.