Amazon CEO Bezos Accuses National Enquirer Parent of Extortion
Jeff Bezos publicly accuses American Media Inc. of blackmail for threatening to release intimate photos unless he drops an investigation into the tabloid. AMI firmly denies the extortion allegations and announces an internal board investigation.
Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos accuses American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, of extortion and blackmail. Bezos claims that AMI executives threaten to publish embarrassing personal photos of him and his girlfriend unless he halts his investigation into how the tabloid originally obtained his private texts and images.
Bezos publishes a detailed Medium blog post to expose the alleged scheme, sharing emails that he says prove the threat. He notes that AMI mistakenly believes he will back down, which prompts the tabloid's executives to put their demands in writing. AMI firmly denies any wrongdoing and insists it acts lawfully while engaging in good faith negotiations to resolve the matter.
This extraordinary public dispute stems from a previous National Enquirer report about Bezos' extramarital affair with former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. In response to the serious extortion allegations, AMI's board convenes to promptly and thoroughly investigate the claims before deciding on any necessary future action.