Meet Jeff Bezos’ billionaire parents, Jacklyn and Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos: the OG investors of Amazon in 1995 are now worth over US$30 billion – and just bought a Real Housewife’s Miami mansion
- Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the world, with Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Gautam Adani and Google’s Sergey Brin – but who raised the Amazon founder?
- His biological dad Ted Jorgensen left when he was a baby, and his mum Jacklyn then married Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos, a Cuban immigrant, who raised Jeff like his own
Jeff Bezos is one of the world’s most talked-about and instantly recognisable figures today, alongside Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Gautam Adani and Google’s Sergey Brin. Not only is he the founder and former CEO of tech giant Amazon, he also holds the distinction of being the world’s first centibillionaire, or individual holding a net worth of US$100 billion. In 2018, Bezos registered a net worth of US$167 billion, unseating the then richest person in the world Bill Gates, reported Forbes.
But beyond Jeff, there’s Jacklyn and Miguel “Mike” Bezos: the couple who raised the tech billionaire. So, who are the parents of the boy who would become the wealthiest person on earth? Here’s what we know.
Jeff Bezos’ biological parents were teenagers when they had him
The Amazon founder was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1964. His biological parents, Jacklyn Gise and Ted Jorgensen, were only 17 and 18 years old respectively, according to Business Insider. At the time of his birth, Bezos’ mum was still a high school student and his dad performed in a circus.
Per Grandcelebs, although her school initially tried to prevent her from graduating, the mother of the future billionaire refused to give up. The school eventually permitted her to finish her studies under specific conditions, such as not being able to talk to other students or have lunch in the cafeteria. Gise complied with the rules and even attended night classes where she could bring baby Bezos with her.
In a 2014 Inside Edition interview, Jeff’s biological dad recounted the last time he saw his toddler son: “I was working in a Walmart and I remember them coming to visit me for some reason.” Jeff was only about three years old and the two never saw each other in person again. At the time of the interview, Jorgensen was a bike shop owner who didn’t know Jeff was his son until biographers contacted him. He passed away in 2015.