Where Is Lauren Sánchez From? Details About Her Childhood In New Mexico

Longtime TV personality turned children's author Lauren Sánchez has certainly had a stunning transformation over the course of her hugely successful career, embarking on a lengthy journey that ultimately led to her engagement to billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos — controversial as the beginning of their romance was. But while Sánchez now has access to the Amazon founder's many luxurious homes across the United States — from New York City to Beverly Hills — it seems she hasn't forgotten her New Mexico roots.

In a September 2024 Instagram post, Sánchez invited her followers to join her on a trip back to her hometown of Albuquerque. She shared a number of photos from the visit, first and foremost one she took with her father while standing outside her humble, one-story childhood home — a far cry from the lavish life Sánchez now shares with Bezos. The journalist also paid a visit to Albuquerque fast-food staple Blake's Lotaburger, which you may recognize from the show "Breaking Bad." The chain operates almost exclusively in New Mexico, though they have a few locations in Texas and Arizona as well.

That said, the main purpose of Sánchez's trip to her hometown was to promote her debut children's book, "The Fly Who Flew to Space." She hosted a promotional event at a local library, with one of her former teachers among the attendees. The author's former teacher even brought an old yearbook, offering a fresh glimpse at what Sánchez looked like while growing up in the ABQ.

Lauren Sánchez shouting out one of her childhood teachers feels especially relevant, seeing as how the former "View" guest host has been refreshingly open about the fact that school wasn't always her strong suit while growing up in New Mexico. In April 2024, Sánchez took to Instagram to celebrate World Book Day by recounting what it was like living with undiagnosed dyslexia as a kid. "Growing up I didn't know I had dyslexia," she shared, adding, "It made reading so difficult which made me feel really behind the other kids." The TV personality credits a community college professor with turning her life around by convincing her to get tested for the reading disorder. 

"If the little girl in this picture knew she'd be writing a children's book, she would never have believed it," Jeff Bezos' fiancée proudly pointed out, enthusing, "I hope 'The Fly Who Flew to Space' will inspire kids to chase their dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem." However, it's worth noting that, sadly, Sánchez doesn't have a strong relationship with all of her former mentors.

In September 2024, her ex-yoga teacher Alanna Zabel filed a lawsuit alleging that she plagiarized her own children's book "Dharma Kitty Goes To Mars" while writing "The Fly Who Flew to Space." Zabel's book was released a few years before Sánchez's, and the yoga instructor claims she discussed plot details with her prior to publication. At the time of writing, Sánchez has not addressed the lawsuit.