Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez arrive in Los Angeles after his ex-wife files for divorce

The world’s second richest man Jeff Bezos was pictured landing back in Los Angeles alongside his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez. 

The pair were returning on his private jet from a safari trip to the West African nation of Gabon. Sanchez posted about the trip on her Instagram page. The couple was in Gabon alongside Dr. Andrew Steer, the president of the Bezos Earth Fund. 

The fund fights climate change and protects wildlife across the world. It was started by Bezos in 2020 with a $10 billion commitment from the former Amazon CEO. 

In July, the fund announced that they donated $35 million to the government of Gabon to support nature conservation in the Congo Basin. 

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba said at the time: ‘A great moment! We discussed the most effective way to preserve the climate, the forest and biodiversity. Gabon and the Bezos Earth Fund share the same vision and ambition: to leave our children a livable planet.’

In total, the fund has promised $110 million for issues related to the Congo Basin.  

The world's second richest man Jeff Bezos was pictured landing back in Los Angeles alongside his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez

The world’s second richest man Jeff Bezos was pictured landing back in Los Angeles alongside his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez

The pair were returning on his private jet from a safari trip to the West African nation of Gabon

The pair were returning on his private jet from a safari trip to the West African nation of Gabon

The couple was in Gabon alongside Dr. Andrew Steer, the president of the Bezos Earth Fund

The couple was in Gabon alongside Dr. Andrew Steer, the president of the Bezos Earth Fund

The fund fights climate change and protects wildlife across the world. It was started by Bezos in 2020 with a $10 billion commitment from the former Amazon CEO

The fund fights climate change and protects wildlife across the world. It was started by Bezos in 2020 with a $10 billion commitment from the former Amazon CEO

The former Amazon CEO, 58, and his girlfriend-of-three-years, 52, seemed in good spirits as they deplaned. 

The billionaire, who stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021, continues to serve as the company’s executive chairman. 

Sanchez wore dark leggings and a white tank top while covering her eyes with sunglasses. For his part, Bezos looked like a man who had been on safari earing an earthy brown button-down shirt and khaki pants also with sunglasses and a blue baseball cap. 

Bezos, who now ranks among the world’s wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune of $153.8 billion according to Forbes, used to work at McDonald’s flipping burgers when he was a high school student. 

The former Amazon CEO, 58, and his girlfriend-of-three-years, 52, seemed in good spirits as they deplaned

The former Amazon CEO, 58, and his girlfriend-of-three-years, 52, seemed in good spirits as they deplaned

The billionaire, who stepped down as Amazon's CEO in 2021, continues to serve as the company's executive chairman

The billionaire, who stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021, continues to serve as the company’s executive chairman

Sanchez wore dark leggings and a white tank top while covering her eyes with sunglasses

Sanchez wore dark leggings and a white tank top while covering her eyes with sunglasses

For his part, Bezos looked like a man who had been on safari earing an earthy brown button-down shirt and khaki pants also with sunglasses and a blue baseball cap

For his part, Bezos looked like a man who had been on safari earing an earthy brown button-down shirt and khaki pants also with sunglasses and a blue baseball cap

It’s fitting that Bezos is in LA amid rumors that he and Lakers legend are both interested in buying the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. 

‘The Big Diesel’, who played two seasons in Phoenix late in his career, has revealed he’d still be willing to join a potential Bezos bid in a lesser capacity.

‘If he wants me on board, I would gladly like to talk to him,’ O’Neal told TMZ Sports. 

‘But as far as trying to own a whole team by myself and go up against — let me tell you something, I’m scared of Big Man JB. Shaq O’Neal is scared of Big Man JB.’

Bezos is one of several billionaires who have been mooted as potential buyers, with Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of the late Steve Jobs, named as well. 

The team is up for sale after Sarver was fined $10 million and banned for a year from the NBA following allegations of racial and sexist slurs and well as bullying towards employees. 

These photos come days after it was reported that Bezos' ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, had filed for divorce from her second husband, after one year of marriage

These photos come days after it was reported that Bezos’ ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, had filed for divorce from her second husband, after one year of marriage

Bezos is one of several billionaires who have been mooted as potential buyers of the Phoenix Suns, with Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of the late Steve Jobs, named as well

Bezos is one of several billionaires who have been mooted as potential buyers of the Phoenix Suns, with Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of the late Steve Jobs, named as well

The Suns begin their season on October 19 vs. the Mavericks. 

These photos come days after it was reported that Bezos’ ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, had filed for divorce from her second husband, after one year of marriage. 

Scott, 52, is said to be divorcing science teacher Dan Jewett. On Monday, comedian Joe Rogan joked about the split during a segment on his wildly popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

Rogan said: ‘She won $39 billion in the divorce settlement and then she immediately married a high school science teacher. So the bit was about a woman worth $39 billion marrying a dude worth $3,000. That guy doesn’t have s**t to say in that relationship. That guy doesn’t get to pick any of the colors of the walls.’

He went on: ‘The way I know is I don’t get to pick anything in my house and my wife doesn’t even work. That guy’s f—ked. He has zero chance.’

Bezos and Sanchez's romance was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019, and soon after, the businessman divorced from his wife-of-over-25-years and the mother of his four children

Bezos and Sanchez’s romance was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019, and soon after, the businessman divorced from his wife-of-over-25-years and the mother of his four children

Sanchez was also married when her relationship to Bezos was outed, and it was her husband - co-CEO of Hollywood powerhouse agency WME, Patrick Whitesell, 56 - who reportedly introduced the two lovers in the first place

Sanchez was also married when her relationship to Bezos was outed, and it was her husband – co-CEO of Hollywood powerhouse agency WME, Patrick Whitesell, 56 – who reportedly introduced the two lovers in the first place

Bezos - who is the second richest man in the world and has a net worth of $136 billion - and Sanchez then made their first public appearance together in May of that year, and have been happily in love ever since

Bezos – who is the second richest man in the world and has a net worth of $136 billion – and Sanchez then made their first public appearance together in May of that year, and have been happily in love ever since

Rogan also said: ‘He’s got his pronouns in his Twitter bio, he’s drinking white wine, that guy, he’s neutered. That guy’s a performance artist. He’s putting on a show. He knows how much money she has. I’m like, how long can you be cool? Well it turns out, 24 months. He couldn’t keep it together. There’s no way you can be yourself if your wife is worth $39 billion. It’s just too hard to be yourself.’

Bezos and Scott met while they were both working for D. E. Shaw in 1992. They married one year later, and welcomed four children together – before splitting in 2019 after it was reported that he was having an affair with Sanchez.

Their romance was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019, and soon after, the businessman divorced from his wife-of-over-25-years and the mother of his four children.

Sanchez was also married when her relationship to Bezos was outed, and it was her husband – co-CEO of Hollywood powerhouse agency WME, Patrick Whitesell, 56 – who reportedly introduced the two lovers in the first place.

Bezos – who is the second richest man in the world and has a net worth of $136 billion – and Sanchez then made their first public appearance together in May of that year, and have been happily in love ever since.

Months later, Scott announced that she had remarried – in March 2021 – through the website Giving Pledge, when she added Jewett’s name to her vow to donate the majority of their wealth to charity.

Bezos, who now ranks among the world's wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune of $153.8 billion according to Forbes, used to work at McDonald's flipping burgers when he was a high school student

Bezos, who now ranks among the world’s wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune of $153.8 billion according to Forbes, used to work at McDonald’s flipping burgers when he was a high school student

Months after his divorce, McKenzie Scott announced that she had remarried - in March 2021 - through the website Giving Pledge, when she added Jewett's name to her vow to donate the majority of their wealth to charity

Months after his divorce, McKenzie Scott announced that she had remarried – in March 2021 – through the website Giving Pledge, when she added Jewett’s name to her vow to donate the majority of their wealth to charity

At the time, the school teacher, 47, posted a note to the website regarding the pledge, in which he wrote, ‘I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know – and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others.’

She has since removed all mention of him from the site, and the New York Times reported on Wednesday that she had filed for divorce in Washington State two days earlier.

According to court records, a division of property will be ‘laid out in a separation contract’ that Scott and Jewett agree upon and Jewett did not contest the divorce.

Following her divorce from Bezos, Scott became one of the richest women in the world, with a four per cent stake in Amazon.

Bloomberg’s real-time Billionaires Index currently ranked her as the 41st richest person in the world this week, with an estimated fortune of $27.8 billion.

Since 2020, she has donated at least $12.8 billion to charity, according to a recent tally from the Chronicle of Philanthropy .

Though Scott is widely recognized as one of the most generous philanthropists on the planet, she maintains a low public profile.

Scott and Jewett have rarely been seen together, and he quietly resigned from his teaching job at a private high school in Washington last year, saying at the time that he did not want to create a distraction there.

Scott has donated two Beverly Hills properties worth a total of $55 million to a California charity that will use a large portion of the proceeds to house the homeless and go toward an immigrant integration program.

Her most recent donation to the non-profit philanthropic organization California Community Foundation was announced in August, but Dirt.com reports that recent property records have just certified the transaction.

It represents the latest in Scott’s ongoing philanthropy spree where she has given away more than $12 billion of her estimated $42.5 billion fortune she was awarded in her divorce settlement, according to Fortune, including $436 million to Habitat for Humanity and $275 million to Planned Parenthood.

The 2.5-acre Beverly Hills property includes a 12,000-square-foot main residence — described as a Spanish hacienda-style mansion built in the 1990s. There’s also a 4,500-square-foot guesthouse. There are 13 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.

On the property, there is also a lap-lane swimming pool, full-size tennis court, patios for outdoor entertaining and parking for dozens of cars.

Scott was granted ownership of the property during her divorce from Bezos, which was $37 million at the time, but has since appreciated to $55 million.

It was reported that about 90 percent of the sale proceeds of the property will toward affordable housing and to help the immigrant integration program in Los Angeles, according to a CCF press release.

How Jeff Bezos became the third wealthiest man in the world worth $140billion 

Born in 1964 to humble surroundings, Bezos studied engineering at college and spent his formative years working in banking and technology.

It was a well-judged pairing, because in 1993 he had his eureka moment and started selling books through this new invention known as ‘the Internet’. 

He persuaded friends and family to invest and he warned them that his business was 70 per cent likely to fail. 

But his new business, which he named Amazon, took off. 

Bezos made his first million in 1997 when he raised $54 million through Amazon’s initial public offering (IPO).

In 1998 he expanded from beyond books into selling all kinds of consumer goods.

He started acquiring other companies and the business grew rapidly as it became a household name and threatened to run traditional high street shops out of business.

It was the coming of the Coronavirus pandemic that really cemented Jeff Bezos as one of the richest men in the world.

With countries globally locked down and shops shuttered, half the world turned to Amazon to get their goods.

Jeff Bezos’ wealth nearly doubled in 2020, eventually peaking at over $200billion. 

source: dailymail.co.uk