- Patrick Whitesell is the executive chairman of Endeavor, the parent company of talent agency WME, which represents some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
- His wife, ex-TV anchor and pilot Lauren Sanchez, is reportedly dating Jeff Bezos and has, according to a TMZ report, filed for divorce from Whitesell.
- Whitesell is worth an estimated $440 million and represents actors, musicians, and comedians. His clients include Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Michelle Williams, Idris Elba, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, John Krasinski, Jude Law, Ryan Reynolds, and Denzel Washington.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
As executive chairman of Endeavor, the parent company of talent agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME), Patrick Whitesell is one of Hollywood’s top power players.
He’s also the soon-to-be-ex-husband of Lauren Sanchez, the ex-TV anchor and pilot who’s been dating Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Sanchez has, according to a TMZ report, filed for divorce from Whitesell a day after the terms of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos’ divorce were announced.
Along with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, Whitesell represents actors, musicians, and comedians. His clients include Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Michelle Williams, Idris Elba, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, John Krasinski, Jude Law, Ryan Reynolds, and Denzel Washington.
Whitesell and Sanchez were married in 2005 and reportedly separated in the fall of 2018.
Sanchez became a well-known name after Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos first said they were getting divorced back in January, as Business Insider's Paige Leskin reported. Hours after they announced the divorce, the National Enquirer reported that Jeff Bezos was dating Sanchez.
Here's a look at Whitesell's life and career.
Patrick Whitesell is the executive chairman of Endeavor, the parent company of talent agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME).
Source: Business Insider
Whitesell's partner and Endeavor's CEO is Ari Emanuel, who was reportedly the inspiration for the character Ari Gold on "Entourage."
Source: ABC News
Whitesell married Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor, in 2005, and they have two children.
Source: Business Insider, Us Weekly
They reportedly separated in the fall of 2018 after 13 years of marriage, and on April 5, it was reported that Sanchez had filed for divorce from Whitesell, a day after the terms of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos' divorce were announced.
Source: Business Insider
Sanchez is said to be dating Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who announced in January that he and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie, were getting divorced.
Source: Business Insider
WME is based in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, but Whitesell and Sanchez bought a six-bedroom house for $6.2 million on Mercer Island, Washington, in late 2016, according to the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
Source: Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, Realtor
Whitesell is one of Hollywood's top talent agents, having gained a reputation early on for representing younger stars, including Drew Barrymore, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Aniston.
Source: The New York Times
Jude Law hired Whitesell in 2005.
Source: UPI
Also among Whitesell's agency's A-list clients are the actors Hugh Jackman ...
Source: WME
... Christian Bale, Michelle Williams, Idris Elba, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington, and John Krasinski, who is the star of Amazon's "Jack Ryan" series.
Source: WME
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are two of Whitesell's longtime clients.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Whitesell was reportedly so blown away by Damon's 1992 performance in "School Ties" that he tracked him down through the Harvard University directory — where Damon was studying at the time — and called him up at his dorm to convince him to be his client.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
The agency also represents musicians, including Adele, Alanis Morissette, Big Sean, Bon Iver, Calvin Harris, Childish Gambino, Dolly Parton, Drake, Outkast, Pearl Jam, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monae.
Source: WME
WME also reps the comedians Conan O'Brien, Amy Schumer, Nick Kroll, Pete Davidson, and Hasan Minhaj, among many others.
Source: WME
Whitesell graduated from Luther College, a private liberal-arts college in Decorah, Iowa.
Source: Bloomberg Breakaway CEO Summit, Luther College
He started his career in the mail room of InterTalent in the 1990s, then went on to become an agent at United Talent Agency (UTA). He worked his way up to being head of the talent department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
Source: Bloomberg Breakaway CEO Summit
Whitesell left CAA to become a partner at Endeavor Talent Agency in 2001, and later played a key role in Endeavor's merger with the William Morris Agency, which became today's William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME).
Source: Bloomberg, The New York Times
Whitesell brought a flock of clients with him when he joined Endeavor, including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Bon Jovi, Kate Hudson, Alan Rickman, and Jon Voight.
Source: The New York Times
Whitesell has been named one of Fortune's "Businesspeople of the Year" and one of Fast Company's "Most Creative People in Business."
Source: Fortune, Fast Company
In 2015, Forbes estimated his net worth to be around $440 million.
Source: Forbes