Hanoi [Vietnam], March 11: Lauren Sanchez, the new wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is said to have once harbored feelings for former US President Bill Clinton. This information surfaced in a civil lawsuit filed by an old friend of hers, Page Six reported on March 9th.
According to a lawsuit filed by yoga instructor Alanna Zabel, a former friend of Lauren Sanchez, the journalist admitted to having special feelings for Bill Clinton after meeting the former president in 2009. Alanna Zabel stated that she subsequently called her friend by the nickname "Monica," referring to Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern who was involved in a romantic scandal with Bill Clinton.
Former friend reveals personal details in copyright lawsuit.
In the lawsuit filing, Alanna Zabel wrote that during their conversations, she occasionally used this nickname to refer to Lauren Sanchez . According to Alanna Zabel, her friend seemed to quite enjoy being called that.
Speaking to Page Six , Alanna Zabel said that Lauren Sanchez had once described Bill Clinton as "charming and captivating," and that she was eager to have the opportunity to meet and interview the former president.
In 2010, Lauren Sanchez actually interviewed Bill Clinton on the television show Extra . At the time, many viewers noticed the rather intimate exchanges between the two.
The aforementioned personal details were included by Alanna Zabel in a lawsuit filed in federal court in California (USA). The defendants in the case include Lauren Sanchez, the publisher The Collective Book Studio, and the distributor Simon & Schuster.
Alanna Zabel alleges that Lauren Sanchez's 2024 children's book, *The Fly Who Flew to Space*, copied several key elements from her book *Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars* , published a year earlier.
According to the lawsuit, years ago the two women discussed the idea of co-writing a children's book. The idea stemmed from a story Lauren Sanchez told about a helicopter flight where a fly clung to the windshield throughout the journey. Knowing that Alanna Zabel had written many children's books, they considered developing this story into a work.
Alanna Zabel told reporters that she "felt hurt seeing an old friend take away her passion and claim it as their own idea." This statement also alluded to the 2025 marriage between Lauren Sanchez and billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Alanna Zabel stated that their friendship ended in 2009, after she inadvertently overshadowed Lauren Sanchez on the dance floor at her friend's 40th birthday party.
In the lawsuit, Alanna Zabel alleges that Lauren Sanchez took plot details, story structure, and themes from her book.
This yoga instructor also suggested that Lauren Sanchez might feel insecure when compared to Jeff Bezos's ex-wife, author MacKenzie Scott. MacKenzie Scott is the author of the novels The Testing of Luther Albright (2005) and Traps (2013).
Alanna Zabel is currently seeking damages, in an undisclosed amount, alleging copyright infringement.
Lauren Sanchez's lawyers argue that the lawsuit is unfounded. In court filings submitted in August 2025, they argued that the two books are similar only in that they are both children's stories about unexpected space travel.
The lawyers emphasized that the plaintiff could not exclusively own the idea of a character who coincidentally took a trip into space. According to them, the allegations of jealousy or personal motives on the part of Lauren Sanchez were irrelevant to determining copyright infringement.
Representatives for Lauren Sanchez declined to comment further on the allegations, which have not yet been proven in court. The case is currently under review in California.
Previously, Alanna Zabel attracted attention when she had a conflict with singer Adam Levine, the lead singer of the band Maroon 5, who had taken yoga classes under her instruction. Alanna Zabel later publicly accused the singer of mistreating her.
Source: Thanh Nein Newspaper
