Among other things, Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos’s extravagant wedding was definitely the news of the year. From the Kardashian-Jenners to Katy Perry, most A-list celebrities attended the ceremony that took place in Venice, Italy. Yet, the groom’s brother, Michael Sanchez, was nowhere to be seen. As it was revealed, the brother-sister pair actually has a very estranged relationship, and Sanchez’s romantic affair with Bezos is to blame significantly for that.
Speaking with Page Six in 2019, Michael revealed that initially, he thought his sister was just having a casual fling with the Amazon founder. He claimed that in 2018, Lauren arranged a meeting between the two men. Michael, who “practically raised” his little sister, agreed and realized that the romance was more serious. According to a family friend, he felt responsible for protecting their happiness.
In 2019, when the news of their affair broke on the internet, a controversy surfaced. The National Enquirer, which broke the news, shared explicit texts between Bezos and Sanchez while they were married to other people. The outlet also included descriptions of NSFW exchanges between the pair. A year later, A.M.I., the parent company of The National Enquirer, released an official statement, claiming their informant was none other than Michael.
“I’m not saying I didn’t do something,” he said during a Vanity Fair interview in 2020.
“Until I go under oath, what I can tell you now is that ever since April 20, when I met Jeff, my only goal has been to protect Jeff and Lauren,” he added, claiming his sister didn’t see things the same way.
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In 2020, when all fingers were pointed at Michael, he sued Jeff Bezos for defamation, claiming he was falsely accused of informing the media about his explicit exchange with Lauren, who said otherwise.
“He secretly provided my most personal information to The National Enquirer — a deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace,” Lauren said in response to her brother’s lawsuit.
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Ultimately, Michael lost the lawsuit. As per Business Insider, the court ordered him to pay about $218,000 of Bezos’ $1.7 million legal fees. Although the legal battle was settled, his relationship with his sister only got worse from there.
In a recent interview with The Times, Michael claimed that he had not been in touch with his sister in person since 2019, and the last time he heard from her was in 2020. Their mother, Eleanor, also tried to mend their relationship. However, needless to say, it did not go well, given that neither Michael nor Eleanor was invited to the wedding.
