Sheryl Sandberg defends Amanda Kloots for dating again: ‘We judge women more harshly’

Both women are in ‘terrible club’ of people who have lost their spouses, says Facebook COO

Sheryl Sandberg has defended TV personality Amanda Kloots after the latter received criticism for dating again, a year after her husband died of complications from Covid-19.

The Facebook COO and founder of Lean In, 51, told the PEOPLE Every Day podcast that she and Kloots were part of an unofficial “club” of people who have lost their spouses, describing it as a “terrible club to be in”.

Sandberg, who lost her husband Dave Goldberg to an arrhythmia in 2015, said: “One of the things that I think is part of it for all of us [who have lost spouses] is that we feel like we’re going to be alone forever.

“When you get married, when you make a commitment to a partner, you look out into the future and you think you’re going to be with that person. And then when that person is taken from you, whether it’s long and slow or suddenly, that fear goes on.”

Kloots’ husband, Nick Cordero, died in July 2020 at age 41 after battling Covid-19 for months. The couple married in 2017 and have a two-year-old son named Elvis.

The 39-year-old fitness instructor revealed that she had started dating again on an episode of The Talk last Friday. She later shared a post on her Instagram Stories in which she received a negative comment about her latest life development.

The comment said: “Dating already wow that was fast.” Kloots responded through the Instagram Story, saying: “How dare you judge anyone especially someone going through this process.

“I will address this soon guys I promise. There’s too much to say and too much that widows deal with to not talk about it. Until then, I will call out anyone who is rude enough to comment like this.”

Sandberg recalled how dating after the death of a spouse was a difficult topic to deal with.

She told the podcast: “We need encouragement. And it won’t shock you to know that we judge women more harshly for dating after death than we judge men.

“I remember there was an email my brother sent to my sister and my parents, and he did not realise I was on it. It was months after Dave died: ‘It’s time for us to talk to Sheryl about dating. She needs to know she’s not going to be alone forever. And she needs to know it’s okay.’

“And I was on the email. And I realised the love he had. My brother was the first person. He sat me down. He said, ‘If you are a man, you would start dating now.’”

Last February, Sandberg became engaged to Tom Bernthal, who she met through her late husband’s brother. They have five children between them, Sandberg with her son and daughter and Bernthal with three children.