Billionaire Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott Files Divorce For Her Second Marriage

Mackenzie Scott is worth an estimated $34.9 billion, according to Forbes, making her the fourth-wealthiest woman in the country. That fortune consists almost entirely of her stake in Amazon, the retailing giant founded by Jeff Bezos—and which she helped launch. She and Bezos, whom she met at the hedge fund D.E. Shaw, were married for 25 years before their highly publicized 2019 divorce.

In January 2019, The richest couple in the world just got divorced. Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced their separation in a joint statement on Twitter, and appeared to confirm that their marriage was officially dissolved in early April, according to Town and Country.

In the statement, which she put out on Twitter, Mackenzie also outlined some financial information about their split. She will be giving her ex-husband her interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin, the aerospace company he founded in 2000, as well as 75 percent of their previously shared Amazon stock.

Jeff Bezos also issued a statement on April 4 saying that he is “grateful” to family and friends, and especially to MacKenzie for “reaching out with encouragement and love.”

“I’m grateful for her support and for her kindness in this process and am very much looking forward to our new relationship as friends and co-parents,” he wrote in the message, which was shared on Twitter.

In June 2021, Mackenzie Scott, who is currently worth $53 billion according to Forbes, always pledged to give the majority of her fortune away so it is fitting, then, that news of her new husband was shared via the philanthropy site, the Giving Pledge, Evening Standard reports.

News of Scott and Jewett’s marriage was announced on the platform via a letter, in which Jewett expressed gratitude “for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared”. A photo shared on the platform – the only public picture of the new couple – shows the pair smiling, cheeks pressed together, for a selfie against the backdrop of a forest.

Jewett is a science teacher at Lakeside School in Seattle, which is where Scott and Bezos’ children currently study. The co-ed high school in Washington state costs over $38,000 per year and has been graded the best private high school in Washington and the 23rd best in the US.

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Earlier this week, The New York Times reported, Scott had removed Jewett’s name from a number of online sites, including her Giving Pledge biography and a Medium post about her philanthropy. She was also named alone in two major gift announcements; Jewett’s name had typically appeared alongside hers.

Jewett “did not contest the divorce” and that the terms of their separation will be guided by an existing—and private—separation contract.

A copy of the petition said the division of properties, possible debts, and court fees are all outlined in the contract. The filing also stated that spousal support “is not needed” and that Scott did not request a restraining order.

Since that time, Scott has emerged as one of the most prolific philanthropists in history, pledging to offload her assets “until the safe is empty,” according to a Giving Pledge letter that previously included Jewett’s name. To date that has amounted to more than $12 billion in gifts.

Jewett had also published his own Giving Pledge letter, in which he spoke effusively of Scott, though it has since been removed from the website. “It is strange to be writing a letter indicating I plan to give away the majority of my wealth during my lifetime, as I have never sought to gather the kind of wealth required to feel like saying such a thing would have particular meaning,” he wrote at the time.

“In a stroke of happy coincidence,” he continued, “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.”

Scott, who has remained exceptionally private in recent years, did not make a public comment on her social media accounts on Wednesday, and her lawyer did not respond to the New York Times’ request for comment.

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Sources: Town and Country, The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Evening Standard

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