MacKenzie Scott is one of the world's richest and most influential philanthropists
MacKenzie Scott, one of the world's richest and most influential philanthropists, filed for divorce from Dan Jewett, a science teacher she married following her 2019 split from Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos.
"We ask the court to dissolve our marriage," Scott said in a petition filed at King County Superior Court in Washington State on Monday. The document shows the couple have a contract spelling out how to divide real estate and other personal property. "Spousal support is not needed," it adds.
A line on the petition where filers can specify whether they have a prenuptial agreement notes only the existence of a separation contract.
Scott, who's worth $28.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, announced her marriage to Jewett last year via her page for the Giving Pledge, a promise the ultra-rich make that they'll give away the majority of their money in their lifetimes or their wills. Jewett wrote a letter of his own and the two were pictured together at the top of the page. Now, only Scott's headshot and letter remain.
Jewett was also named in a blog post by Scott, 52, on the website Medium, where she has announced large gifts in the past. Those references have also been deleted.
"Me, Dan, a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisers - we are all attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change," Scott wrote in a June post. Now, it reads, "We are attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change."
Requests for comment to a Scott representative and Jewett weren't immediately returned. The New York Times reported the divorce filing earlier.
Scott took control of a $36 billion fortune after her divorce from Bezos, when she was left with a 4% stake in Amazon. She's since given her money away at an unprecedented pace, sending out more than $12 billion since she signed the pledge in 2019.
It's unclear how big of a role Jewett played in the philanthropy of Scott, who has a team of experts and consultants scouting a wide array of nonprofits across the country. Typically, Scott announces her giving in blog posts, the last of which was in March.
Earlier this year, Scott said her team is working on building a website that will include a searchable database of her grants.