You may have expected some controversy surrounding Jeff Bezos’ lavish wedding celebration, but Rosie O’Donnell’s reaction has taken the conversation to another level. In a pointed Instagram post, the comedian and television personality didn’t hold back her disgust.
She criticized not only the extravagance of the billionaire’s multi-day ceremony in Venice, Italy, but also took direct aim at Oprah Winfrey for attending. Her message was both personal and political, stirring online discourse and challenging the idea of silent celebrity complicity.
O’Donnell began her post by describing the opulence of the Bezos-Sanchez wedding as “gross excess.” She expressed how the entire spectacle, filled with famous guests such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Sydney Sweeney, left her deeply unsettled. “The Bezos’ wedding.
It turned my stomach seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all. The show of it,” she wrote. Her reaction reflected not just a distaste for wealth flaunted during economic disparity, but also a growing frustration with what she sees as the normalization of billionaire behavior.
What seemed to strike O’Donnell most was Oprah’s presence among the wedding guests. She questioned the nature of Oprah’s relationship with Bezos and raised ethical concerns about such a connection. “Is Oprah friends with Jeff Bezos? Really? How is that possible?
He treats his employees with disdain. By any metric he is not a nice man,” she stated. O’Donnell’s words implied a betrayal, especially coming from someone like Oprah, who has long cultivated an image centered around empathy, empowerment, and social justice.
The criticism did not stop there. O’Donnell shifted her focus toward Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, whom she described in scathing terms. “And his fake fem bot wife who looks like that… Why would he choose her after the salt of the earth Mackenzie [Scott]?
Sold his soul is what it looks like from here. The devil is smiling at all his conquests,” O’Donnell wrote. Her statement contrasted Sanchez with Bezos’ ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, highlighting the philanthropic path Scott took following their divorce, which earned widespread praise.
Oprah’s attendance wasn’t entirely random. She arrived at the ceremony alongside her longtime friend Gayle King, who shares a personal history with Sanchez. Earlier this year, King and Sanchez participated in a Blue Origin spaceflight sponsored by Bezos’ aerospace company.
That connection may explain the invite, but it did little to soften O’Donnell’s critique. The implication remained clear: attending such an event, given Bezos’ history with workers’ rights and wealth inequality, is morally questionable.
You’re not alone if you’ve seen others in Hollywood echoing O’Donnell’s sentiments. Actress and activist Charlize Theron also referenced the wedding, using humor to make her point during her Africa Outreach Project charity event.
She said, “I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding. But that’s ok because they suck and we’re cool.” Theron’s remark drew laughs, but it also reinforced a cultural divide among celebrities regarding public displays of extreme wealth.
O’Donnell’s fiery comments come amid broader political tensions and personal decisions she’s made in response to them. Earlier this year, she shared that she had left the United States following Donald Trump’s re-election.
Speaking to Variety, she explained her decision to move to Ireland and revealed that she has no plans to return until there’s a significant political shift. Her stance reflects a growing sentiment among some public figures who feel alienated by the current U.S. administration and its policies.
“With the current political climate, when would it be safe to come back with my child?” O’Donnell asked. “I’m not going to push it before this administration is completely finished, and hopefully held accountable for their crimes.”
Her words demonstrate a deep unease not just with political leadership, but with what she views as a cultural and ethical breakdown among American elites. Her decision to speak out against Oprah and Bezos was not just about one event—it was part of a broader critique of complicity and silence.
Whether you agree with O’Donnell’s tone or not, her words have reignited public discussion about celebrity ethics, wealth, and the values we expect from those in the spotlight. Her message challenges you to look beyond glamour and question the integrity behind the people and events you see celebrated. The backlash may continue, but one thing is clear—Rosie O’Donnell is not staying quiet.
