Jeff Bezos’ Ex-Wife Confirms Major Change to Finances After Report He & His New Wife Are Going to Court For Money
Ever since Mackenzie Scott divorced Jeff Bezos and walked away with a considerable part of the fortune the two had amassed during their time together, she has been on a mission. And the mission isn’t to grow that fortune, but instead to give it away. That’s right, Scott was promised to donate most of her money to charitable endeavors during her lifetime. And she’s on track to do just that
The numbers are in, and Scott announced that she gave $7.1 billion to nonprofit groups in 2025. This represents an increase from her charitable donations of the past few years, and it stands as one of the largest single-year totals donated in history.
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On an essay on her website, Scott explained, “This dollar total will likely be reported in the news, but any dollar amount is a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of care being shared into communities this year.” She previously donated $2.6 billion in 2024 and $2.1 billion in 2023. She’s donated $26.3 billion since 2019.
It’s not just that she’s donating, but where she’s donating. Scott donated a large amount of the $7.1 billion she gave away this year to historically Black colleges and universities. In her essay, she spoke about what it means to give. “Generosity and kindness engage the same pleasure centers in the brain as sex, food, and receiving gifts, and they improve our health and long-term happiness as well.”
She added, “The peace-fostering byproducts of one unexpected act of kindness toward a stranger of a different background or beliefs might inspire a beneficial chain reaction that goes on for years. Respect, understanding, insight, empathy, forgiveness, inspiration – all of these are meaningful contributions to others.”
The philanthropist also said she’s moving more of her fortune into investments that align with her goals. “There are many ways to influence how we move through the world, and where we land,” she said.
Scott’s net worth is reported to be around $32.5 billion, according to Forbes. Bezos still owns around 9% of the company he founded in 1994, and his net worth is $230.2 billion. Still quite a difference.
All of this comes after reports that Bezos, who went on to marry journalist Lauren Sánchez after their divorce, is still in the middle of a drawn-out legal battle with his new wife’s estranged brother, Michael Sánchez. Page Six reported that the couple’s legal team filed a motion in California Superior Court demanding that Michael Sánchez pay $182,374 in attorney’s fees and $8,182 in legal costs, “incurred in connection with (1) her successful Special Motion to Strike, and (2) this Motion for Attorney’s Fees and Costs.”
What’s this about? Well, reports of an affair between Bezos and Sánchez first surfaced while she was still married to Patrick Whitesell. At the time, the leak was pinned on Michael Sánchez, who denied responsibility and sued for defamation. The Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in Bezos’s favor, with the Amazon founder requesting that Sánchez cover all legal fees.
