Megyn Kelly ripped CNN analyst Van Jones as a “coward,” accusing him of smearing Charlie Kirk as a “racist” just two days before the conservative activist was gunned down — and then shifting his tone after Kirk’s death to protect his image.
Kelly reacted to an essay that Jones posted on CNN in which he revealed that Kirk sent him a private message on X the day before his assassination on Sept. 10 — inviting him to his show for a “respectful conversation about crime and race.”
On her SiriusXM show, Kelly said Jones “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.”
“Well, I’m not one of them. Not today,” Kelly said.
Kelly said that Jones once offered to defend her publicly after her 2018 NBC ouster over comments about blackface but later backed out.
She said Jones told her, “I just want to say what’s happening to you is wrong. It’s deeply wrong, and I want to see if you’re okay.”
“So sweet, right? Extra touching, because this is a black man in media, and so he gets it,” Kelly said on her show on Monday.
According to Kelly, Jones later reversed course, saying, “So sorry, but I changed my mind. I can’t do it because I recently did a thing with Jared Kushner, and now I’m getting death threats, and the FBI says I really shouldn’t put myself back out there.”
“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’ CNN appearance on Sept. 8, where he criticized Kirk for suggesting race played a role in the North Carolina slaying of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zaratska.
She said Kirk cited a witness who heard the accused killer say, “I got that white girl. I got that white girl.”
Kelly said Jones falsely branded Kirk a racist on-air just two days before Kirk was shot dead.
“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 she added: “It was totally irresponsible of you. It was wrong, and you have yet to undo it.”
Kelly argued that Jones only shifted tone after Kirk’s death to shield himself from backlash.
“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,” Kelly said.
Kelly accused Jones of casting himself as a victim.
“What you should have done with me is say nothing or don’t volunteer to do anything,” Kelly said.
“Don’t try to lie about your alleged death threats.”
The Post has sought comment from Jones.
Jones wrote in his essay that he has “taken issue with many of” Kirk’s past statements — “sometimes strongly.”
But he added that he “never [questioned Kirk’s] right to speak them.”
“So it was not hard for me to condemn his murder — immediately, without qualification and in unconditional terms,” Jones wrote.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
