The blackmail plot that ends in marriage

Shameless

Shameless Media

Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 June 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Hello! On today’s show: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding in Venice has caused quite a stir, with the couple having to move the event after major protests in the city. But we wanted to rewind and unpack the bizarre extortion scandal that threatened the couple back in 2019. Yeah, turns out Jeff Bezos was… kind of a victim of a major blackmail plot? Big thanks to South Australia for making this episode of Shameless possible. Visit Australia’s hidden gem and celebrate the simple pleasures. Your hosts are Zara McDonald (@zamcdonald) and Michelle Andrews (@michelleandrews1). This was Gil’s red lip today! You can read Brad Stone’s piece for Bloomberg here, and you can purchase his book here. Shameless Podcast is produced by Annabelle Lee and Eilish Gilligan, executive-produced by Lucy Hunt and audio-edited by Eilish Gilligan. Our social media team consists of Naima Fatema, Emily Li and Eilish Gilligan, and our partnerships manager is Cindy Luu. Want to support our show? Clicking ‘follow’ on Apple and Spotify is the best way to do that, and we're super grateful to anyone who leaves a five-star review while they're at it. Also! An old-fashioned 'Tell a Friend In Real Life' is equally appreciated. Want more? We've got more… Subscribe to our newsletter Smart, Dumb Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/4yasjphn Follow us on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2mf557ux Aaaand we’re on TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/2hchchrp Everything else your heart could ever desire is here: https://linktr.ee/shamelesspodcast Thanks for listening! We’re huge fans of yours.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Shameless Media.
0:06.8	This episode of Shameless is brought to you by South Australia.
0:10.3	Visit Australia's hidden gem and celebrate the simple pleasures. Hello and welcome to Shameless, the pop culture podcast for smart people who love dumb stuff.
0:44.1	You're joined, as always, by Melbourne writers, Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald.
0:48.3	Hello, Zazzy and hello producer, Elish Gilligan.
0:50.8	Hi!
0:51.2	Hi, guys, coming up on today's show, it's actually a bit of a scandal time.
0:56.1	Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding in Venice has caused quite the stir,
1:00.0	with the couple having to move the event after major protests in the city.
1:03.8	But we wanted to actually rewind and unpack the bizarre extortion scandal that threatened the couple back in 2019 when we first found out they were dating.
1:12.2	Yeah, it turns out Jeff Bezos was actually the victim of a major blackmail plot.
1:16.7	And this one goes all the way to the top.
1:19.4	All the very way to the top.
1:21.3	Yeah, it's a scandalette. I know, I said it.
1:23.8	It's so bloody good.
1:25.3	In fact, because it was a scandalette, we weren't going to give recommendations.
1:28.1	But Gil, I've just laid eyes on you for the first time this morning.
1:30.6	What red lipstick are you wearing?
1:32.4	Because that is epic.
1:33.4	Oh, my God.
1:33.8	Okay.
1:34.4	So our stylish producer Kate, who I sit next to in the office, she got some PR from
	...

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