US talk show host Rosie O’Donnell has become the latest public figure to criticize Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez for their lavish wedding celebration.
On Friday, June 27, the former Amazon CEO and the former journalist celebrated their marriage with a star-studded event attended by 200 high-profile guests, including the Kardashians, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Ivanka Trump, and Sydney Sweeney, known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus.
Their wedding in Venice, which reportedly cost $56 million (£40m), was not well-received by everyone. Apart from local protests against their choice of venue, other celebrities, including O’Donnell, have expressed disapproval of the extravagant affair.
On Monday, June 30, O’Donnell posted on Instagram, expressing her disdain for the event.
She wrote: Edited for clarity, here’s what she wrote: “The BEZOS wedding, it turned my stomach. Seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all. The show of it. Is Oprah friends with Jeff Bezos? Really – how is that possible? He treats his employees with disdain. By any metric he is not a nice man.”
Referencing Bezos’s ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, who he divorced in 2019 after a 26-year marriage, O’Donnell added: “Why would he choose [Sánchez] after the salt of the earth Mackenzie? Sold his soul is what it looks like from here. The devil is smiling at all his conquests.”
Known for her charitable work and often referred to as the ‘Queen of Nice,’ O’Donnell faced criticism from a social media user who commented on her post.
“Hey Rosie, the attending guests were requested to not give them any gift but donate to Venice charities,” they replied. “They have a right to do whatever they want, maybe you should just mind your damn business!!”
Despite this, the majority of commenters supported her harsh critique of the wedding.
“How they all literally basked in being seen at this event. Like it was a sign of their status. I think they mean it more to show us ours, according to them,” read another message.
Additional reactions included “All those members of the arts… it’s disappointing, really” and “The whole thing was vulgar. Especially with what is happening in the world.”
This criticism follows other online remarks targeting the perceived insincerity of Bezos and Sánchez’s guest list.
One Twitter user commented on the apparent lack of genuine friendships: “I love how Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have no real friends. Like why are you inviting Sydney Sweeney and Ellie Goulding to your 200-person wedding.”
Another wrote: “Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez only had 200 people at their wedding, and they invited Sydney Sweeney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Brady. My conclusion is that they don’t have any real friends.”
A third person added: “Weddings like this aren’t about friends; they’re about projecting status. Small number = exclusive, A-listers only = look how important we are. It’s pretty sad how someone as wealthy & powerful as Bezos still engages in these games & how it’s pretty much just his mid-life crisis.”