Who is MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos's ex-wife and philanthropist, who has donated over $19 billion so far?

Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire, and journalist Lauren Sanchez are all set to host an extravagant wedding ceremony in the 'Queen of the Adriatic', Venice, on June 27. Bezos and S¨¢nchez were first reportedly linked in 2019, during the time when both parties announced splits from their previous partners. Amid the forthcoming celebrations, the attention has turned to Bezos's ex-wife, American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. But who is she?

Bezos and Scott got married in 1993 in Seattle and had four children together, three sons and one daughter. However, the couple divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage. In their divorce settlement, Scott received 25 per cent of their shared Amazon stake, valued at around $36 billion.

The billionaire has been married once so far, and the one with Sanchez is going to be the second one. The 61-year-old Amazon founder, one of the richest men on the planet, is travelling to the Italian city with his $500 million superyacht. The multi-day affair includes a ceremony aboard Bezos's $500 million yacht, Koru.

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Who is MacKenzie Scott?

MacKenzie Scott, an American novelist and philanthropist who is also one of the richest women in the world, has made headlines in the past for massive donations to hundreds of charities and has given away a total of $19 billion.

The 55-year-old philanthropist helped Bezos build Amazon in its early days and remains a significant figure despite avoiding the spotlight post-divorce.

The American Book Award winner has since authored two novels and gained recognition as a dedicated philanthropist, making significant impacts in education and racial equity while subtly transforming the landscape of contemporary charitable work.

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MacKenzie Scott¡¯s donations: Philanthropic transformation of Jeff Bezos' ex-wife

Notably, after the divorce, the Amazon co-founder pledged to give away the majority of her wealth. She has donated over $19 billion to date through her foundation called Yield Giving, which has also been known as a rapid, "no-strings-attached" philanthropist.

In the past six years, Scott has donated to over 2,000 nonprofits, proving to have a "transformational effect" on the mentioned organisations.

While Jeff Bezos is worth $230 billion, Amazon pays wages so low that thousands of his workers are forced to survive on food stamps, Medicaid & public housing.

In other words, your taxpayer dollars subsidized his $500 million yacht.

Yes. Jeff Bezos is the real welfare queen: pic.twitter.com/4vDaYiODzB

¡ª Warren Gunnels (@GunnelsWarren) June 24, 2025

Bezos's ex-wife is also a member of The Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates that supports organisations addressing poverty reduction, refugee assistance, disaster response, global health, and education.

Her donations and generosity have made headlines in the past, but she has rarely given interviews to date and has kept her life quite low-key.

Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott's divorce

Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott filed for a divorce in September 2022, which was finalised in January 2023.

Moreover, after Scott's first marriage to Bezos, she married Seattle science teacher Dan Jewett in 2021, after her first meeting with him at her children's school, as per the Washington Post.

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