Days before announcing his divorce from his wife,Jeff Bezos“was in a great mood” at the 2019 Golden Globes on Sunday, a source tells PEOPLE.
“He is a different man,” says the Hollywood insider. “He’s completely changed. He was in a great mood on Sunday night, more playful and much more loose than he usually is.”
The 54-year-old billionaire attended Amazon’s Golden Globes party after the awards show, where he was spotted chatting withhis new girlfriend, ex-news anchorLauren Sanchez, and her soon-to-be ex-husbandPatrick Whitesell, a fellow partygoer tells PEOPLE.
“Jeff was in great spirits and having lots of fun,” says the source. “He had a crowd of people around him. Lauren was there but wasn’t with Jeff all the time. Her husband was there, too.”
Patrick Whitesell, Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos.Todd Williamson/Getty
The Amazon CEO announced he was separating from hiswife of 25 years, MacKenzie, on Wednesday. The two share four children together.
PEOPLE confirmed Sanchez, 49, is also divorcing Whitesell after 13 years of marriage. The formerGood Day LAhost and frequent contributor toExtraandThe Viewshares two kids with Whitesell and also has a son from a previous relationship.
A different source said Bezos and Sanchez have been spotted spending more and more time together in recent months.
“Lauren and Jeff have been spending a lot of time together over the last yearand especially the past few months,” the source said. “At first it was socially at parties… here and there. But their time together has definitely seemed to evolve, raising some eyebrows. Jeff has met a small group of Lauren’s girlfriends, too. The two of them are sort of thick as thieves right now.”
Bezos and MacKenzie announced in a statement on the billionaire’s Twitter account that they had decided to continue their “shared lives as friends.”
“We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again,” they added in the statement.
“We’ve had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures. Though the labels might be different, we remain a family, and we remain cherished friends,” they continued.
In 2018, Bezos bested Bill Gates on Forbes’ annual ranking of the world’s billionaires. Today,Bloomberg reportsthat Bezos’ net worth is now $137 billion, making him the richest person in the world.
Amazon shares dipped slightly immediately following the divorce announcement.
source: people.com
