CNN host and contributor Anthony Kapel “Van” Jones has surfaced with a telling revelation about a message Charlie Kirk sent to him shortly before his life was taken.
In a recent Op-ed, Van recalled how shocked he was by the direct communication, as it came amidst an ongoing torrent of threats against his life over his denunciation of a statement made by Kirk.
Van claims he had given the message a lot of thought before revealing it to the public and pointed out that it was pertinent in a political environment that has since become charged with calls for violence and civil war talk.
The bone of contention between Van and Kirk was the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian in North Carolina
The bone of contention was that of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska being fatally stabbed from behind on a train in North Carolina on August 22.
The man who took her life was a 34-year-old homeless man by the name of Decarlos Brown Jr, who had a track record of robbery, felony larceny, and breaking and entering, along with mental health issues.
To Kirk, this was a cut-and-dried case of “anti-white hatred,” and he said as much.
Van recalled denouncing this assessment on CNN, calling it “unfounded.”
“He (Kirk) went on TV and denounced MY denunciation. Then he unleashed a firehose of tweets, challenging my argument,” Van wrote in the September 20 analysis.
Van recalls how Kirk had reached out to him on his last day alive
Van went on to describe what happened next as an “online torrent of racist […] threats.” And while the rhetoric poured in, Kirk texted him personally.
“Hey, Van, I mean it, I’d love to have you on my show to have a respectful conversation about crime and race. I would be a gentleman as I know you would be as well. We can disagree about the issues agreeably,” the influencer allegedly wrote.
“Unfortunately, before I could even respond, Charlie Kirk was [slayed] — seemingly assassinated for the words he’s spoken,” Van continued.
“The last day of his life, he was reaching out to have not more censorship, [but] more conversation, more dialogue, with somebody who, honestly, was one of his adversaries – me.”
Van admitted taking issue with Kirk’s statements, but claims he never questioned or harbored hard feelings against his right to speak
Van admitted that the same words that appear to have ultimately translated to Kirk’s demise, irked him “strongly.”
Be that as it was, the anchor claims he never took issue with the 31-year-old father of two’s right to speak, which he described as a “sacred American value.”
Van updated his handle on X shortly after Kirk’s assassination, saying:
“Today’s attack on Charlie Kirk is absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking. He fought with words, not weapons.
“There is no place for political violence in our society and those responsible must be swiftly brought to justice. My prayers are with Charlie’s loved ones, the traumatized students at Utah Valley University and all who have been impacted by this senseless act.”
Kirk’s demise is dividing American citizens, according to Van’s estimate
NEW: CNN’s Van Jones reveals he got a DM from Charlie Kirk calling for personal dialogue just one day before he was killed.
“Charlie Kirk and I were not friends at all. In fact, the last week of his life, we were beefing hard.”
“The day before he died, [Charlie] did something… pic.twitter.com/THhCaMm4Ru
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 20, 2025
Van wrote about the 1968 era of American life when political unrest was rife, saying, “I don’t want to go back to that. None of us should.”
He claimed that Kirk’s fate should serve as a driver for discourse, which, by his estimate, is not happening.
“People are using his horrific assassination to call for MORE violence — justifying m*rder or even calling for a civil war! Government officials are using his [assassination] as an excuse to censor and silence dissent,” Van lamented.
The revelation comes after Jimmy Kimmel was cancelled for his take on Kirk’s demise
Van’s assessment follows the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show after he bashed Trump and other high-profile Republicans for their reactions to Kirk’s demise.
Not long after, Jimmy Fallon stood down from a business convention in New York on short notice and without reason.
Bored Panda reported previously that upon hearing the news, President Donald Trump fired off a celebratory post on his Truth Social that read:
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
He then called for more heads to roll, writing:
“That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC.”
The message casts Charlie Kirk in a new light
