Lauren Sánchez is a mother of three. She shares a son, Nikko, 24, with her ex boyfriend, retired NFL player Tony Gonzalez. She's also mother to Evan, 18, and Ella, 17, from her previous marriage to executive Patrick Whitesell.
The journalist says her blended family with billionaire Jeff Bezos will be "the Brady Bunch": Bezos has four children in addition to her three.
Sánchez, a former journalist, separated from Whitesell in 2019 and became engaged to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2023. Bezos has four children with his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.
Sánchez chatted about life with Bezos and the couple’s combined seven kids to WSJ Magazine for a story published in January 2023.
“On a typical Saturday, we hang out, we have dinner with the kids, which is always fun because you never know where the conversation is going to go with this many kids,” she said.
In 2024, Sánchez shared with Elle magazine that she and her kids are embracing their Mexican American heritage and taking Spanish lessons. She also revealed that her pilot’s license is “the one thing” that Nikko, Evan and Ella “think is cool.”
Sánchez founded Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. In 2024, she earned the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award. In 2025, she led a six-woman crew, including Katy Perry and Gayle King, on Blue Origins' 11-minute space flight.
Read on to learn more about Sánchez’s children, Nikko, Evan and Ella.
Nikko Gonzalez
Sánchez and Gonzalez, a former Kansas City Chiefs tight end, welcomed son Nikko on Feb. 12, 2001. Although their romantic relationship ended a year later, they have remained close. Sánchez is also on good terms with Gonzalez’s wife, Tobie, and says she considers them both among her “best friends.”
“My son looks at me, and he’s like, ‘I’m the luckiest boy in the world because I can have Thanksgiving with both my parents and they don’t have to be married,’” Sánchez told the Wall Street Journal.
Nikko graduated from University of Colorado, Boulder, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2024. That same year, he made his runway debut modeling for Dolce & Gabbana.
Evan Whitesell
Evan, born on June 22, 2006, is studying at the University of Miami.
“My heart is bursting,” Sánchez wrote in an Instagram Story celebrating his college acceptance in 2024.
Another proud moment that year: his first solo helicopter flight, which Sánchez shared in a video showing Evan taking off on his own.
“There’s a special kind of trust that comes when you watch your kid take off on their own for the first time,” Sánchez wrote. “It’s about letting go, but also knowing they’re more than ready. It’s terrifying, exhilarating, and so deeply rewarding all at once.”
Ella Whitesell
Eleanor “Ella” Whitesell was born on Jan. 15, 2008. To mark her 16th birthday, Sánchez shared a throwback picture of her daughter wearing a Superman shirt.
“It seems like just yesterday I took this pic of you,” Sánchez wrote. “In your quiet strength, you’ve grown, not with loud fanfares, but with the gentle grace of a sunrise. Each day, you show us the beauty of dedication and the power of quiet dreams. We love you for everything you are, and everything you’re yet to become. I love you beyond words.”
