Keith McNally isn’t using any filters on Instagram — in his captions, at least. On Monday, the New York restaurateur insulted former news anchor and current Jeff Bezos fiancée Lauren Sánchez on Instagram, calling her “ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING.†McNally shared photos of Bezos and his bae-zos, who have been dating since 2019, and declared that they make “an ugly and Fucking SMUG - LOOKING couple.†He concluded by asking, “Is this what having 1000 Billion dollars does to people?†You might recall, the Balthazar owner previously banned James Corden from his restaurant, using an anecdote about an egg-yolk omelet to take a pretty successful crack at Corden’s reputation. But McNally’s post wasn’t as well-received this time.
Chrissy Teigen, who allegedly regrets her own history of online trolling, was one of several celebs who defended Sánchez in the comments. “She’s actually incredibly dynamic, accomplished and kind, and everyone who knows her would say the same,†Teigen wrote. Cookbook author Jessica Seinfeld, who is married to Jerry Seinfeld, left a lengthy response that appears to have since been taken down. “This post is a reflection of your twisted, pitiful, and hideous mind,†she said. “Lauren has twice the character you do.†(She also alleged that McNally had bad-mouthed her editor at a dinner in March.) Media personalities like MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle and CNN and The View’s Ana Navarro-Cardenás criticized McNally as well.
It seems likely that Sánchez has seen the post; her own sister left a comment criticizing it as “cruel and hurtful.†For her part, Sánchez recently reposted a message on her Instagram Story that not-so-subtly declares, “People will love you / People will hate you / And none of it will have anything to do with you.†Looks like she’s choosing the high road instead of, say, asking Bezos to ban McNally from using any of the many companies the billionaire owns.