Megyn Kelly criticized CNN analyst Van Jones on Monday, calling him a “coward” for branding conservative activist Charlie Kirk a “racist” just two days before Kirk’s assassination, only to later publish an op-ed praising him, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
On her SiriusXM show, Kelly reacted to Jones’ CNN essay in which he revealed Kirk had privately messaged him on X on Sept. 9, the day before his death, inviting him to appear on his program for a “respectful conversation about crime and race.”
Kelly said Jones’ posthumous praise for Kirk was disingenuous, pointing out that he had publicly criticized the activist only days earlier.
“He came out on Friday with a nice story about Charlie, and as I’m sure he predicted, it’s now getting even conservatives to say nice things about Van,” Kelly said. “Well, I’m not one of them. Not today.”
Kelly highlighted an earlier exchange she had with Jones in 2018 following her departure from NBC over controversial comments about blackface.
She said Jones initially offered to defend her publicly but later changed his mind, citing death threats tied to a previous collaboration with Jared Kushner.
“That is one of the reasons why what he’s doing now around Charlie really stood out to me,” Kelly said.
Kelly pointed to Jones’ appearance on CNN on Sept. 8, where he criticized Kirk for suggesting that race may have been a factor in the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zaratska in North Carolina.
Kirk cited a witness who reportedly heard the suspect say, “I got that white girl. I got that white girl.” Kelly said Jones falsely branded Kirk as a racist during that segment.
“For the record while I was on the air covering the Charlie murder live on this program, I did say this is not Van Jones’ fault. I was sure to point that out, and I maintain that position now,” Kelly said. “But it was totally irresponsible of you. It was wrong, and you have yet to undo it.”
Kelly argued that Jones only shifted his tone after Kirk’s death in order to protect his reputation. “Van Jones, I believe, sees what happens to Charlie on Wednesday, and clearly starts to panic, because he’s been in a very open fight with Charlie Kirk,” she said.
Jones has not publicly responded to Kelly’s criticism. In his essay, he acknowledged disagreements with Kirk’s past statements but wrote: “It was not hard for me to condemn his murder — immediately, without qualification and in unconditional terms.”