- New York restaurateur Keith McNally insulted Lauren Sánchez in a seemingly spontaneous Instagram post.
- Celebrities defended Sánchez, an Emmy-winning former news anchor and fiancee of Jeff Bezos.
- This isn’t McNally’s first controversy. He also insulted James Corden and Adele on Instagram.
Restaurateur Keith McNally, who is no stranger to controversial Instagram posts, has made a habit of insulting celebrities. And his latest target is Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of one of the most powerful people in the world, Jeff Bezos.
But with some heavyweights in his camp, Sánchez has the upper hand.
McNally, who owns more than a dozen restaurants, including New York’s famous Balthazar, wrote a seemingly unexpected post on Instagram on Monday attacking Sánchez and Bezos.
“Does anyone else find Jeff Bezos’ new wife – Lauren Sanchez – ABSOLUTELY REVOLUTIONARY?” he wrote in the original post, alongside a series of photos of the couple, according to The Cut. “What an ugly, fucking SMUG-LOOKING couple they are. Is that what having a trillion dollars does to people?”
McNally’s post was later edited, but on Friday it read: “What an odd couple. Is this what having $1 trillion does to people?”
But before McNally watered down his insults, Sánchez’s reputation proved that it should not be taken lightly.
Dozens of celebrities rushed to defend Sanchez, also an actress, pilot, philanthropist and founder of an aerial filming company. Her relationship with Bezos became public following Bezos’ divorce from MacKenzie Scott in 2019. Since then, the two have been photographed having shameless fun, often aboard Bezos’ $500 million yacht, while Sánchez’s reputation as a mover and shaker attracts a growing number of die-hard fans.
Chrissy Teigen commented on McNally’s post, writing, “She’s actually incredibly vibrant, accomplished, and kind, and anyone who knows her would say the same thing.”
Jessica Seinfeld, married to Jerry Seinfeld, wrote in a since-deleted post, “This post is a reflection of your twisted, pitiful, hideous mind. Lauren has twice the character as you,” according to The Cut.
And MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle commented that Sánchez is “accomplished, kind, smart and loved,” adding that McNally’s message was “mean for no reason,” The Cut reported.
Although Sánchez herself didn’t directly respond to McNally’s insults, she followed them up with a few Instagram Stories calling for kindness.
In a story published Tuesday, which is no longer visible, Sánchez shared a quote that read: “People will love you. People will hate you. And none of that will have anything to do with you,” according to The Independent.
Sánchez also shared a quote attributed to fashion designer Rachel Zoe. “Lead with kindness, support others, encourage those you love. Honestly wish everyone the best,” it reads, according to The Independent.
Representatives for McNally and Sánchez did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
If his edited post is any indication, McNally has certainly learned the hard way not to bother Sánchez or his famous friends.
But this isn’t McNally’s first rodeo: The restaurant owner has also insulted other big names in recent years, some more justified than others.
In 2022, McNally famously had a falling out with television personality and “The Late Late Show” host James Corden.
McNally accused Corden of abusing his staff at Balthazar on two occasions, saying that during a visit to the SoHo hotspot, Corden yelled “like crazy” at waiters and during another visit he was “mean” towards the restaurant manager. McNally called Corden a “little jerk of a man” on Instagram and said Corden had been banned from the restaurant.
But McNally said that after Corden called and “apologized profusely,” he would be allowed back.
However, the beef didn’t stop there. Corden told the New York Times a few days later that he had done nothing wrong, leading McNally to fire back. In another Instagram post, McNally mocked Corden’s acting skills, insulted his fans and urged him to admit his wrongdoing.
The issue seemed to subside after Corden later apologized on air.
Megastar Adele has also been the subject of McNally’s disdain, which in her case appears to be spontaneous.
In 2023, McNally attacked the singer-songwriter on Instagram, calling his appearance in Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment “deeply inauthentic,” “sickening” and “HORSE SHIT.”
He wrote that “Adele’s makeup was so horribly exaggerated and her nails so long that she looked like a particularly frightening Cruella de Vil.”
Our advice to McNally? Maybe stay off Instagram.
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