Jeff Bezos sells $665M in Amazon stock right after $50M star-studded wedding

Jeff Bezos is back to making headlines—this time not just for his $50 million fairy-tale wedding in Venice, but for offloading a massive chunk of Amazon stock.

According to a recent SEC filing, the Amazon founder sold nearly 3 million shares over two days in July, raking in a cool $665.8 million.

 This follows a separate stock dump at the end of June worth over $736 million.

It’s all part of a pre-announced plan to sell up to 25 million shares by May 2026.

Despite stepping down as Amazon CEO in 2021, Bezos still holds over 900 million shares in the company—worth an eye-watering $200 billion.

The timing of the sale has raised a few eyebrows, coming hot on the heels of his star-studded wedding to Lauren Sanchez.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos leave the Aman Hotel on the third day of their wedding festivities in Venice

AFP via Getty Images

Guests included everyone from Oprah and Bill Gates to Leonardo DiCaprio and multiple Kardashians.

The Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez Wedding Was As Much of a Tacky, Hot Mess As You Thought It Was

Image: Shutterstock

The canals of Venice have hosted centuries of decadence, but nothing prepared locals—or the Internet—for the headline-grabbing spectacle that was the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding. The billion-dollar couple spent a long weekend shutting down waterways, ferrying A-listers on paparazzi-bait water-taxis, and treating Italy’s most fragile city like their personal sound stage. “Physically, I am, of course, in New York, but mentally, I was in Vinicce all weekend long,” confesses The Toast co-host Claudia Oshry.

From the moment Sanchez’s Sophia Loren-inspired lace gown appeared on the Vogue digital cover, TikTok was teeming with snark. “B*tches were bothered this weekend—everything about this wedding. The dress, the décor, the celebrity guest list,” snarks Claudia.

And yet, as Jackie Oshry reminded listeners, “Venice does a good job of always getting paparazzi pictures of celebrities as they get on their water taxis.” The couple knew exactly what they were buying with that multi-million-dollar weekend pass—visibility.

Why the wedding had everyone side-eyeing

Jackie wasted zero time breaking down the sticker shock. “I read 40 to 50 [million dollars], and then I also read 10. Ten sounded a little bit more because it was still just like a wedding, like a party. Claudia pushed back, noting Bezos himself once tweeted you “couldn’t spend $50 million on a wedding if you tried.” Whether the tab was eight or nine figures, the vibe screamed “Capitol chic while the Amazon rank-and-file fight for a living wage.”

The sisters also questioned the randomness of the RSVPs. “You’re telling me Sydney Sweeney is friends with these people? Like, no. She’s 22, and they’re 100,” laughs Claudia. Still, there were Kardashian cameos for days. “I love that Kendall and Kylie went…Khloé is taking the crown as best dressed,” Jackie says. Even Tom Brady zipped in from Miami.

Tacky décor, thirsty guest list, zero self-awareness

Online critics called the affair “tacky, cheap, [and] cheesy,” prompting Jackie to clap back: “When I saw all these people on social media, I’m like, you’re ugly, and your clothes are ugly. So who the f*ck are you?”

Still, the hosts admitted to one universal truth: the spectacle felt tone-deaf in a recession-stricken America, while Venice fights climate-induced flooding. “No b*tches were bothered this weekend,” except, apparently, the locals whose piazzas morphed into Bezos’s personal runway.

Even the dress—an admittedly elegant, Sophia Loren-inspired number—sparked debate. “The dress was pretty. The body was tea,” Jackie sums up the aesthetic, adding it was “giving Olivia Culpo.” Claudia then doubles down, saying, “Why is everyone so mad? This is a beautiful thing to behold… an alien would come down and say, ‘Oh, yes. That is beautiful.’”

Both sisters agree that the bride looked “hungry,” especially in a waist-free reception gown that left viewers craving carbs on her behalf.

Celebrity shade and the price of admission

While Katie Couric deemed the Vogue cover “tacky,” Claudia counters, “Those in glass houses…you’re not a beacon of chicness.” Olivia Munn and Charlize Theron also lobbed their own grenades, but Jackie’s theory is simple. “I’m Katie Couric, finding myself not invited. Yeah, I’m big mad,” she speculates.

The final verdict on the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Wedding

So, was the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding a tone-deaf flex or harmless extravagance? The Toast lands in a surprisingly pragmatic place. “It was just a really extravagant rich-person wedding. [But] based on what I saw, even just the ceremony, it was a really nice wedding.”

In other words, tacky? Absolutely. Hot mess? Positively. But also—unapologetically—on brand for a couple who treat space travel like a quick Uber ride.

One thing’s for sure: Venice hasn’t seen this level of water taxi chaos since George Clooney’s vows. Whether you stan the power pair or side with the protesters, the Bezos-Sanchez bash delivered what every modern celebrity wedding needs—viral chaos, couture photo ops, and enough gossip fuel to power an Amazon fulfillment center.