Who Is MacKenzie Scott's Ex-Husband? All About Dan Jewett

MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett
MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett
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the giving pledge Dan Jewett and MacKenzie Scott

MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Jeff Bezos and one of the richest women in the world, officially divorced Seattle-based science teacher Dan Jewett in 2023.

She married Jewett in 2021 — two years after she and Amazon CEO Bezos announced their split in 2019 after 25 years of marriage.

Scott and Jewett confirmed their marriage in a statement posted to their pages on the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages wealthy people to donate a majority of their wealth to charity.

"And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know — and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others," Jewett wrote at the time.

However, a year after the couple wed, Scott filed for divorce in 2022. The divorce was finalized in January 2023 without the hassle of a trial. No spousal support was requested by either party.

So, who is MacKenzie Scott's second ex-husband? Here's everything to know about Dan Jewett.

He's a longtime science teacher

As Jewett explained on his Giving Pledge page, he has been a teacher "for the majority" of his life, and most recently taught science at a private school in Seattle, according to the WSJ.

Scott's children attend classes at the school, and that's where the former couple met, according to the Washington Post. The children have been students there since at least 2019, as a Herald Business Journal article published at the time of Scott and Bezos' divorce said the couple were often spotted on campus with their kids.

Before joining the school, Jewett worked as a science teacher at The Bush School in Seattle from 2011 to 2016, according to a post from Head of School Percy Abram.

Josh Verlin, a sportswriter from Philadelphia, told PEOPLE that Jewett was his AP chemistry teacher at Harriton High School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, from 2006 to 2007.

"He was involved, energetic, passionate, friendly, gregarious in a really earnest way," says Verlin, 32. "He so clearly loved what he was doing, loved teaching and loved science, and enjoyed working with the students ... He was very engaging, and you wanted to be in his class."

He lives in Seattle

Jewett and Scott did not relocate from Seattle after getting married. Shortly after their wedding, Scott changed her author bio on Amazon to read, "She lives in Seattle with her four children and her husband, Dan."

Following their divorce in January 2023, Scott changed her bio (again) to read: "MacKenzie Scott is the author of two novels and the recipient of an American Book Award. She lives in Seattle."

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He embraced Scott's philanthropy

Scott announced that as of June 2021, she and Jewett had given $2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations.

Following her split from Bezos, Scott reportedly kept a four percent stake in Amazon and was ranked the 22nd richest person in the world on Bloomberg's Billionaire Index at the time of her marriage to Jewett in 2021.

With a net worth of $53.5 billion, Scott is a dedicated philanthropist, and in December 2020, she announced that she'd donated nearly $4.2 billion to 384 organizations over the previous four months.

When Jewett added his name to Scott's Giving Pledge page, he promised to join her "in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others."

RELATED: MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' Ex-Wife, Weds Seattle Teacher Dan Jewett

"It is strange to be writing a letter indicating I plan to give away the majority of my wealth during my lifetime, as I have never sought to gather the kind of wealth required to feel like saying such a thing would have particular meaning," Jewett wrote. "I have been a teacher for the majority of my life, as well as a grateful student of the generosity of those around me. This has meant doing my best to follow their example by passing on resources of all kinds — from time, to energy, to material possessions—when I have had them to give."

Jewett praised Scott as the "kindest and most thoughtful person" he knows and said he looked forward to being able to "do so much good" in sharing and giving away his assets.

For Verlin, Jewett's philanthropic efforts are no surprise.

"If who he was as a teacher is who he is as a person, I read his statement, and I could hear him saying it," he said. "I can totally see him being the type of person who would be like, 'Let me help you give away [your billions] in a smart way.'"

He had Bezos' support

Bezos told the WSJ that he had nothing but love for Scott and Jewett.

"Dan is such a great guy, and I am happy and excited for the both of them," said Bezos.

Bezos, who is in a relationship with TV host and actress Lauren Sanchez, stepped down as Amazon CEO in July 2021.

He's not active on social media

While Scott's first ex-husband, Bezos, has attracted much media attention since their divorce, her second ex-husband, Jewett, stays out of the limelight. His only post on Instagram is a notice, warning people against scams related to his philanthropy efforts.

"No one representing me or my giving will ever ask anyone to pay a fee or submit personal information," the 2021 post read.

Scott filed for divorce from him in September 2022

On Sept. 26, 2022, Scott filed a petition for divorce just one year after marrying Jewett. Court documents didn't mention a prenup, but the exes used a separation contract in which former spouses agree on the terms of the separation, including what becomes of the marital property.

"A separation contract under Washington law is when you say to your spouse, 'We're going to get divorced and we can work out all the details ourselves. Let's write it up in an agreement and we'll just notify the court that we've figured everything out,' " David Glass, a family law attorney, told PEOPLE. "And so that's what they did here."

Glass added: "They each had their lawyers, they figured out who's keeping what real estate, who's keeping what assets. They decided that there wouldn't be any sort of spousal support, and because they don't have any children [together], they didn't have to get into the issue of custody."

On Jan. 4, 2023, the exes finalized their divorce, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Neither party responded to PEOPLE's requests for comment.