Lauren Sanchez, 49, is officially ending her marriage with her husband, Patrick Whitesell, 54, after reportedly dating Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, 55, since the summer of 2018, according to TMZ. Their Apr. 5 divorce filing comes one day after Jeff and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie‘s divorce became final. Although Lauren made the first move in the divorce filing, Patrick’s response document seemed to identify her document, and in it, they are both requesting joint custody of their two children, Evan, 12, and Eleanor, 11. Here are five things you should know about Patrick.
1.) He is co-CEO of American talent agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME). Before he worked for the prestigious company, he gained experience as an agent at many other well-known talent agencies, including InterTalent from 1990 until 1992, United Talent Agency (UTA) from 1992 until 1995, and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) from 1995 until 2001. Along with fellow co-CEO of WME, Ari Emanuel, Patrick has been named to Fortune’s impressive Businessperson of the Year list.
2.) He grew up in Iowa with five brothers. One of them is the late Sean Whitesell, who was a television and film actor, writer and producer. Patrick attended Iowa Falls High School, where he graduated in 1983, and then Luther College, where he graduated in 1987.
3.) As a successful talent agent, he has received many honors and has been able to join many notable organizations. He is an appointed member of the Governor’s California Film Commission and an associate member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
4.) Jeff used to be his good friend. In fact, Patrick is the one who introduced him to Lauren 10 years before their alleged romance made headlines.
5.) He’s worth a lot of money. Although he may not be worth as much as Jeff, Patrick has done well for himself as an agent. His job has allowed him to work with many huge actors, musicians, and comedians, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Michelle Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal. He is worth an estimated $440 million, according to Forbes.