Lauren Sánchez Dubbed 'Monica' For Having the Hots for Bill Clinton Before She Met Jeff Bezos, Ex-Pal Reveals in New Lawsuit
Lauren Sánchez was dubbed 'Monica' after Bill Clinton's former lover due to her obession with the ex-president, an old pal claims.
March 10 2026, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Lauren Sánchez had her eyes set on Bill Clinton before her marriage to Jeff Bezos, according to a former friend, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The journalist, 56, was even dubbed "Monica," after the ex-president’s former lover Monica Lewinsky, such was her obsession with him.
Lauren Sánchez 'Seemed To Have Enjoyed Nickname'
Sanchez reveled in being compared to Monica Lewinsky, yoga instructor Alanna Zabel claimed in a lawsuit.
Yoga instructor Alanna Zabel claims Sánchez revealed she had a romantic interest in Clinton after meeting him in 2009. Zabel made the allegations in a lawsuit against Bezos' wife, who alleged the former news anchor stole her idea for a children’s book.
"In communications with Sánchez, Zabel sometimes used the name 'Monica' to refer to Sánchez," according to the lawsuit.
Zabel claims Sánchez, married to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell at the time, "seemed to have enjoyed this nickname."
Bill Clinton Was 'So Sexy And Mesmerizing'
Sánchez 'couldn't stop talking about Clinton,' her ex-pal claimed.
“She said (Clinton) was so sexy and mesmerizing,” Zabel separately told Page Six. "She really wanted to meet him and get an interview … She couldn't stop talking about Bill Clinton."
In 2010, Sánchez interviewed Clinton for the TV show Extra, and fans noticed their flirty exchanges. The personal anecdote is one of several referenced in the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California against Sánchez, publisher the Collective Book Studio, and distributor Simon & Schuster.
Zabel alleges Sánchez's 2024 book The Fly Who Flew to Space copies key elements from Zabel's children’s book, Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars, published a year earlier.
Lawsuit Over Children's Book
The journalist, now married to Jeff Bezos, is accused of stealing an idea for a children's book.
According to the complaint, the two women first discussed the idea of creating a children's book together years earlier, after Sánchez recounted a helicopter trip with a fly stuck to the windshield the entire flight.
Knowing Zabel had written numerous kids' books, the pair talked about drawing inspiration from the moment into a story.
"It's paralyzing to watch a former client with a vendetta against you who marries the richest guy in the world, then takes your heart's passion and pretends it’s hers,” Zabel claimed, referencing Sánchez's marriage to the billionaire Amazon founder last year.
Zabel claims after years of friendship, Sánchez cut off all contact with her in 2009, after the yoga teacher upstaged her pal on the dance floor of her 40th birthday party.
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Zabel is seeking unspecified damages for alleged copyright infringement from Sánchez.
Zabel claims in her lawsuit that Sánchez took plot points, story arcs, and subject matter from her book. She believes Sánchez felt inferior to Bezos' novelist ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, and wanted him to believe she cared about the things he did.
She is seeking unspecified damages for alleged copyright infringement.
Sánchez’s attorneys argue the "claim is frivolous," per an August court filing.
"The Works are not similar other than the fact that they are both children’s books that involve a spontaneous trip to space," the filing read.
Zabel "does not own the concept of a school-age character unexpectedly taking a trip to and from space," the defendants argue, adding that with her suit, Zabel "attacks `(Sánchez) with irrelevant allegations that she is jealous of Plaintiff, 'harbor(s) resentment towards,' and is out 'to exact revenge' or is 'trolling' Plaintiff."
