Jeff Bezos Slammed For Partying in Paris With Wife Lauren Sànchez — as His Washington Post Newspaper Burns Ahead of Planned Firings
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sànchez partied in Paris while The Washington Post braced for more layoffs.
Jan. 27 2026, Published 11:25 a.m. ET
Tech billionaire Jeff Bezos has been slammed for partying with his wife Lauren Sànchez in Paris for Haute Couture Week while staffers at his publication, The Washington Post, panic ahead of planned layoffs, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Staffers have reportedly begged Bezos, 62, to intervene and have taken to social media to share their stories in hopes their boss has a change of heart.
Bezos Lives it Up in Paris
Bezos and his wife attended couture fashion shows in Paris while staffers feared their jobs would be cut.
While Bezos and Sànchez brushed shoulders with celebrities at couture fashion shows like Schiaparelli and Dior and posed for photos on the red carpet, staffers back home at the Washington Post were racked with anxiety wondering whether or not their jobs were on the chopping block.
The publication is set to face another round of layoffs, which are believed to be rolled out in February after leadership delayed downsizing plans.
Some reports estimated upwards of 300 employees could be impacted, with newsroom positions, including sports, metro and foreign affairs, taking the brunt of the force.
"I've never experienced such a feeling of dread," one Post insider reportedly told an outlet.
WaPo Staffers Filled With 'Feelings of Dread'
Bezos purchased The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013.
Fear and uncertainty have gripped the paper as staff have been left in the dark about when the layoffs will happen and how many jobs will be axed.
Managing editor Kimi Yoshino sent a memo to the sports division informing staff a correspondent would not be sent to cover the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, which is set to kick off in less than two weeks.
"We realize this decision and its timing will be disappointing to many of you," the memo read, according to the Guardian.
Adding to bewilderment over the decision was the fact that the Post was said to have already spent around $80,000 in preparation for covering the Winter Olympics.
"It's all very confusing, and no one knows anything," said another staffer, who was not authorized to comment. "The anxiety is so sad."
Hundreds of staffers, mostly from the newsroom, are expected to lose their jobs.
Meanwhile, Foreign Post staff penned Bezos a letter urging him to rethink downsizing and to consider the powerful role his publication plays worldwide.
"We urge you to consider how the proposed layoffs will certainly lead us first to irrelevance – not the shared success that remains attainable," a portion of the letter signed by 60 staffers read.
Among the 60 staffers who signed off on the letter were the Post's top international journalists. The group noted they were open to "finding ways to reduce our costs even further" and work with leadership "while retaining as many jobs as we can."
"We know what happens when newspapers slash their international sections: they lose reach and they lose relevance," the letter added.
Staffers Beg Bezos to 'SaveThePost'
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Staff shared their personal stories while begging Bezos to save the paper on social media.
On social media, staff launched the hashtag "#SaveThePost" in hopes their personal stories could sway the Amazon founder from going through with the layoffs.
"Hi @JeffBezos. We will never forget your support for our essential work documenting the war in Ukraine, which still rages. Your wife has called our team 'bada-- beacons of hope.' We risk our lives for the stories our readers demand. Please believe in us and #SaveThePost," wrote Ukraine bureau chief Siobhán O'Grady on X.
"As international correspondents and reporters for the @washingtonpost, we risk our safety to investigate authoritarian governments, report from gang-controlled towns and document evidence of stolen elections. This on-the-ground reporting is more critical than ever," added Mexico City bureau chief Samantha Schmidt.
"I've driven into hurricanes, trekked through jungles and camped on an ice sheet in sub-zero temperatures to bring you news about climate change," pleaded another journalist.
"If you value this work and everything else you read in @washingtonpost, help us send a message to @JeffBezos: #SavethePost."
