Jeff Bezos Allegedly Paid Tens of Millions to Cover-Up His Alleged Affair

Sources claim the Amazon boss used big-budget projects, including one helmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, to get closer to his alleged mistress.

Jeff Bezos
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Image via Getty/Leonard Ortiz/Digital First Media/Orange County Register

Jeff Bezos

Lin-Manuel Miranda has been roped into the Jeff Bezos divorce scandal. 

Sources told the National Enquirer that Bezos tapped the actor/playwright to direct a Blue Origin commercial for Super Bowl 2019. Though Miranda would help the ad, Bezos reportedly insisted that the production team include Lauren Sanchez—the former news anchor, TV host, and the Amazon CEO's alleged mistress.

The report aligns with the rumors that Bezos used his business as an excuse to spend more time with Sanchez, who recently separated from her Hollywood agent husband Patrick Whitesell. Bezos allegedly hired Sanchez to work on a documentary about his aerospace company Blue Origin—a project that sources claim will probably never get released.

"Jeff hired Lauren to work on the Blue Origin project and a Super Bowl commercial, which he wants Lin-Manuel Miranda to write and direct," an insider told the Enquirer, according Page Six. "He keeps pushing the projects back for various reasons, constantly giving excuses why things need more time [...] With the money invested in both, it's like he's paying $50 million to cover up an affair."

News of Bezos and Sanchez's alleged affair broke Wednesday, shortly after the Amazon founder announced he and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, were getting divorced after 25 years. 

Many suspect Bezos' announcement was an attempt to beat the Enquirer to the punch, as he reportedly became aware of the tabloid's "blockbuster exclusive" prior to its publication. A spokesperson for the Enquirer told CNN that they had reached out Bezos' team earlier this week.

"The National Enquirer has been doggedly investigating this story for four months and the extraordinary details and evidence uncovered by our team, and presented to Mr. Bezos' representatives for comment early this week, underscores the kind of investigative reporting that the publication has long been known for," the spokesman said.

The Enquirer's role in the mess has raised suspicion about why the outlet was so dedicated to taking down the billionaire. It's important to note that the outlet's parent company, American Media Inc., is owned by David Pecker, who has admitted to buying and burying stories about Donald Trump's alleged affairs.

Did the Bezos story have anything to do with Pecker and Trump's cozy relationship? Well, considering the president's not-so-friendly exchanges with Bezos, it's not far-fetched to believe that POTUS was a factor. A source with ties to the Enquirer, however, insists this isn't the case.

"It's fanciful to suggest that the Enquirer pursued this because Bezos is a perceived enemy," the insider told CNN. "It was pursued because he's the world's richest man and a newsworthy subject."

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