Trying to bring "a little bit of light" to the world: Lauren Sánchez on Bezos charity work, space travel

In their first-ever joint interview as a couple, Lauren Sánchez said the goal of their philanthropic work was to bring a “little bit of light” to the people who use unity instead conflict to resolve issues.

Sánchez has been quietly working behind the scenes to help her boyfriend, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who told CNN last week that he plans to donate most of his wealth to charity.

“We want to amplify their voices because the voices that are really negative seem to get amplified in this world,” she said during a sit-down interview at the couple’s Washington D.C. mansion.

One of their initiatives is the Bezos Courage & Civility Award, which the power couple awarded to country music legend Dolly Parton last week. The musician has 10 years to distribute $100 million to charity, however she sees fit.

“The work that we’re doing with the Bezos Courage and Civility Award I think needs to have a voice,” said the former Emmy-award winning journalist.

“And the people that we’ve chosen so far, Van Jones, Jose Andres, Dolly Parton, they all have such stories to tell. I just feel honored to be able to be a part of what they’re doing for this world.”

Bezos had nothing but praise for his new partner, saying of her, “Lauren is the most generous, most big-hearted person that you would ever meet. So, she is an inspiration in that way. She never misses a birthday. The network of people that she gives birthday presents to is gigantic. And that’s just a small example.”

The pair divorced their respective spouses in 2019 after the National Inquirer leaked racy texts from Bezos to Sánchez.  

Sánchez expressed support for Bezos’ spaceflight startup Blue Origin, which he likened to the Wright brothers’ first airplane and said she planned to go to space herself in 2023.

When asked by CNN who she plans to take with her, she said with a smile, “It’ll be a great group of females.”