Who Is Netflix CEO, Ted Sarandos' Wife? From Her Life As A Star Kid To Coping After Her Mom's Murder

Netflix is in an ongoing bid to, but Warner Bros and it could make or break the future direction of the entertainment industry. The two big minds behind the streaming giants, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, have been building a strong bid for their platform to have the rights to Warner Bros. However, as the business gets tougher, with stakes higher than ever, let us take a look at the woman behind Ted's journey, who has a story for the books herself.

She is a former US ambassador, film producer and author. From growing up as Hollywood's royalty to coping with the grief of losing her mother to an unfortunate incident, she has seen it all and come out on the other side, stronger than ever. So, without any further ado, let us introduce you to the woman behind Ted Sarandos, Nicole Avant. Nicole is the daughter of a well-known music mogul and an art collector and philanthropist. Her parents have been widely described as having helped shape Black American culture.

Meet Ted Sarandos' wife, Nicole Avant

Nicole Avant was born to Clarence Avant and Jacqueline Avant on March 6, 1968, in Los Angeles County, California. She spent her early life in Beverly Hills and attended Beverly Hills High School until 1986, then enrolled at California State University, Northridge, to pursue a bachelor's degree in communications. Apart from being the wife of the world's biggest platform's CEO, Nicole is also known for her memoir, Think You'll Be Happy: Moving through Grief with Grit, Grace and Gratitude, which she published in 2023.

The book detailed her mother's murder in 2021 and how her family tackled the grief. According to Town & Country magazine, it was her father who encouraged her to write the book, telling her, "You cannot give your power away to somebody. If you don't write your book because of what this man just did to our family, then he wins again." However, before we dive into that, let's take a look at her early life, relationship with Ted and more.

Nicole Avant grew up as part of Hollywood's royalty in Beverly Hills

Nicole's father, Clarence, was known as 'The Black Godfather' back in the day. He was the former head of Motown Records and was very well known for fighting for equal rights for African-American artists. Her mother, Jacqueline, was a well-known philanthropist and art collector. According to Town & Country, Nicole was raised in Beverly Hills, where she spent her childhood playing tennis and celebrating her birthday at glitzy events. During her childhood, Jimmy Carter, Tom Bradley, Gray Davis, and Jerry Brown were frequent visitors to the family's estate in Hollywood.

Nicole Avant's mother was fatally shot by an intruder

On December 1, 2021, Nicole Avant's mother was fatally shot by an intruder when she was 81 years old. Losing her mother really impacted Nicole, and she channelled her grief into her 2023 memoir, Think You'll Be Happy, a part guide to living through grief. For the unversed, the title was an ode to her mother's final text message she sent the night she was killed.

Nicole shared that it was about sweet potato pie, but later took on a new meaning. In a conversation with Town & Country, Nicole got candid about her process of writing the book and shared:

"At the hospital, when the doctors came out and told us she didn't make it, all of our bodies went into shock and trauma. I've never felt my body react that way about anything. I decided in that moment that enough had been taken away from me, and I wasn't going to let anything take away my marriage, my relationship with my father, my relationship with my children."

Nicole Avant backed Barack Obama

According to the Los Angeles Times, Nicole became a prominent voice in political circles after publicly supporting Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2007. As per the newspaper, it was a big move because much of Hollywood supported Clinton. Nicole even talked about the same in the famous memoir that she wanted to break the cycle of Hollywood fundraisers that "consisted of white people talking to white people about what white people needed". Town & Country further shared that she went on to become the Southern California chair of the Obama presidential campaign, helping him to victory.

Nicole Avant was the first female African-American US ambassador 

Nicole was the United States' first African-American female ambassador to the Bahamas. She was also the youngest person to become the US ambassador. She focused on five key issues during her term: education, alternative energy, economic and small-business development, women's empowerment, and raising awareness of the challenges faced by people with disabilities. In 2006, Nicole launched Culture Cabinet and organised fundraisers for Harold Ford Jr. 

Nicole Avant's high-profile marriage to Ted Sarandos

Talking about Nicole's personal life, she married Ted Sarandos in 2009. They got married the same year she became the US ambassador to The Bahamas. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ted first met Nicole at a fundraiser for Senator Barack Obama. The Netflix boss described the relationship as "love at first sight". In an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, Nicole shared how they both had lost a parent within two weeks of each other and how they worked through it as a couple. She was quoted as saying:

"I said, 'We have to make a pact with each other right now. We have to look at each other in the eyes and say we are going to move through this together, no matter what.'"

What are your thoughts on Ted Sarandos' wife, Nicole Avant? Let us know.

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