Lauren Sánchez's Tragic Hair Fails We Can't Ignore

From spending her formative years in New Mexico to being a successful journalist and getting engaged to one of the wealthiest men in the world, Lauren Sánchez has undeniably had a stunning transformation. And as someone with a clear propensity for eye-catching fashion, Sánchez has served up some looks we just can't stop talking about — though, not always for the right reasons. In fact, Sánchez has garnered a reputation for some of her more inappropriate outfits, and she even infamously drew Mark Zuckerberg's roving eye at Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration. But if we turn the clock back to the 2000s, it's Sánchez's hair that has us doing a double take.

While there are certainly some fashion trends from the 2000s that deserve to make a comeback, several of the children's book author's chosen hairdos from that unfortunate era are probably best left in the past. Granted, Sánchez's fiancé Jeff Bezos doesn't even have any hair. So, we suppose there are worse alternatives to a bad hair day every now and then. Still, those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. With that in mind, we took a look back at some of Lauren Sánchez's most tragic hair fails. The List also reached out to Luna Viola, a fashion/red carpet/hair/makeup artist, for her expert opinion on what exactly went wrong for the otherwise stunning star.

Owing to her background in journalism, Lauren Sánchez has often found herself playing news anchors and reporters in various films and TV series. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, she appeared in shows like "Babylon 5" and "Girlfriends," and even graced the big screen in movies like "Fight Club," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "Fantastic Four." One of Sánchez's earliest cinematic outings as a fictional broadcaster came in 2003, when she briefly appeared in "Hollywood Homicide," a buddy-cop movie starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett (who's undergone a stunning transformation of his own). 

But when Sánchez arrived at the film's 2003 premiere, her bangs were anything but red-carpet-worthy. According to hair and makeup artist Luna Viola, who spoke exclusively to The List, Jeff Bezos' fiancée "is known for her long brunette locks that she [has] been sporting since [the] late '00s. Some of her styles throughout the years include bangs that usually complement her features." However, Viola asserted that the approach Sánchez took for the "Hollywood Homicide" premiere wasn't it, since, "The bangs are way too short and it makes the whole style look out of proportion as the rest of the layers are much longer." 

Trigger warning: This section contains a brief mention of sexual abuse.

2007 marked the fifth iteration of the John Varvatos Stuart House Benefit, a once-annual event championing the worthy cause of providing medical care and other resources to sexual abuse victims. Hosted at the John Varvatos store in Beverly Hills, California, that year's benefit featured a musical performance by Macy Gray, as well as celebrity appearances from the likes of Drew Carey, Emily Osment, Miranda Cosgrove, and, of course, Lauren Sánchez. But while the event doesn't appear to have been super formal, another throwback pic where Sánchez looks completely unrecognizable shows the future Mrs. Bezos wearing her hair in what looks like a very last-minute updo.

We asked hair and makeup artist Luna Viola for her take, and she argued that while Sánchez's hairstyle wasn't necessarily a bad call in and of itself, her choice of accessory was ultimately its undoing. "She looks too undone and the headband makes the style look more bridal and dated," Viola pointed out. She was essentially trying to have it both ways — a little bit formal, a little bit casual. Maybe Sánchez should have just focused on one.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Even as the 2000s came to an end, Lauren Sánchez wasn't done making questionable choices with her bangs. In June 2009, she attended the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's 39th annual Beastly Ball, joining the likes of beloved actor Betty White and hall-of-fame basketball player Elgin Baylor. However, with side-swept bangs covering one of her eyes, Sánchez looked more like she had come out to audition for an emo band. This choice was likely part of a larger asymmetrical thing that the TV personality was going for, but it doesn't really work for us.

That said, we probably shouldn't judge Sánchez too harshly here. As hair and makeup artist Luna Viola professed, the "Fly Who Flew to Space" author was hardly the only person to wear her bangs like that back in the day — and we can't really blame her for following the hottest trends (especially since many of us did likewise). After all, when a trend is so prominent that it even transcends gender, it's hard to find anyone who didn't give it a try once the dust settles. "It definitely plays into the '00s trend the most with the side swept bangs, very in at the time," Viola said.

As we mentioned before, the updo that Lauren Sánchez chose in 2007 wasn't really bad in theory — it just failed to hit the mark in practice. The former news anchor went with a similar style when she attended March of Dimes' fourth annual Celebration of Babies in late 2009, to considerably better success. Hair and makeup artist Luna Viola called the look "soft and natural," and "not too far from the boho updos we have today." That said, the expert had some others ideas for which hairstyles would actually look best on Sánchez. 

"She suits a sultry soft layered style with curtain bangs as a staple casual chic look," the expert explained, adding that "This would elongate her face shape and highlight her cheekbones the most." Viola elaborated that if Sánchez wanted to stick with the updo look, Pamela Anderson's twisted 1990s take may be a good place to find some inspiration. Finally, the hairstylist shared, if it was up to her, she would "soften [Sánchez's] dark locks into a more natural warm dark chocolate brown, it would bring out her skin tone more."