Van Jones Biography
Van Jones (Anthony Kapel Jones) is a lawyer, a three-time New York Times bestselling author and an American journalist serving as a host and contributor for CNN.
Van Jones Age
He was born on September 20, 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
Van Jones Height
Jones stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch tall.
Van Jones Education
In 1986, Jones finalized his high school education from Central-Merry High School. He later joined the University of Tennessee at Martin where he received his Bachelor of Science in communication and political science. While in college he helped launch and lead a number of independent, campus-based publications such as; the Fourteenth Circle in the University of Tennessee, the Periscope in Vanderbilt University, the New Alliance Project in statewide in Tennessee and the Third Eye in Nashville’s African-American community.
He graduated from Yale Law School in 1993.
Van Jones Nationality
He is of American nationality.
Van Jones Parents
He is the son of a high school teacher, Loretta Jean and middle school principal, Willie Anthony Jones.
His parents were born in segregation in the South. His dad grew up in Orange Mound, Memphis, one of the biggest black, ghettos, in the south.
As a middle school principal, Anthony gave his heart to helping the poor kids by taking public schools that were failing poor kids, and transforming them into centers of safety and learning. Anthony Jones passed on due to lung complications brought about by his smoking habit.
Van Jones Siblings
Jones has a twin sister, Angela.
Van Jones Wife
Van married Jana Carter in 2005 and they later divorced in 2018 after thirteen years of marriage. None of them disclosed the reason behind their separation but instead the couple said “there is no beef or drama just evolution,” in a press statement announcing their split.
They continued by saying, “though we have decided to end our marriage, we still love each other very much.”
Van’s wife, Jana Carter is the niece of former US President, Jimmy Carter. Jana is the daughter of Billy Carter and Sybil Spires. She worked at Oakland Unified School District and a few other law firms before getting married to Van.
At the moment Van is not in any relationship.
Van Jones Kids
Van and Jana have two sons, Mattai and Cabral, and they have joint legal and physical custody as they continue to co-parent the kids since they ended their marriage.
Speaking to People, Van said, “We will continue raising our kids together, running our businesses together and supporting each other’s growth.”
Van Jones CNN
Jones is a CNN political commentator, regularly appearing across the network’s programming and special political coverage. He has hosted CNN’s The Van Jones Show, The Redemption Project with Van Jones, and The Messy Truth with Van Jones.
In June 2013, he was announced as a co-host of a re-boot of the CNN political debate show Crossfire, alongside Newt Gingrich, Stephanie Cutter and S.E. Cupp. The new version of Crossfire made its debut on September 16, 2013, but the show had been canceled by October 2014.
He launched The Messy Truth in 2016, a news feature documentary series and subsequent studio discussion series, The Messy Truth with Van Jones, aired in 2017. In 2018, he launched The Van Jones Show, with Jay-Z as his first guest.
Jones launched The Redemption Project with Van Jones in 2019, a show focused on restorative justice and bringing “offenders face to face with the people most affected by their violent crimes.”
He is also the co-creator of the Emmy Award-winning virtual reality series, The Messy Truth VR Experience.
Jones is also the CEO of REFORM Alliance, which launched in January 2019. The mission of the REFORM Alliance is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system starting with probation and parole. REFORM is backed by a bi-partisan and diverse group of sports, entertainment and business leaders, including award-winning recording artist Meek Mill; Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin; entrepreneur and business Mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter; Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Brooklyn Nets co-owner and philanthropic investor Clara Wu Tsai; Third Point LLC CEO and founder Daniel S. Loeb; Galaxy Digital CEO and founder Michael E. Novogratz; Vista Equity Partners founder, chairman and CEO Robert F. Smith.
He has been a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform for more than 25 years. He has founded and led many thriving social enterprises, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and the Dream Corps, a social justice accelerator that houses #YesWeCode, #GreenForAll, and #cut50, which recently led the charge to pass the FIRST STEP Act (a bipartisan Federal bill that The New York Times calls “the most substantial breakthrough in criminal justice in a generation”).
Van was the main advocate for the Green Jobs Act. Signed into law by George W. Bush in 2007, the Green Jobs Act was the first piece of federal legislation to codify the term “green jobs.” During the Obama Administration, the legislation resulted in $500 million in national funding for green jobs training.
In 2009, Jones worked as the Green Jobs advisor to President Barack Obama. In this role, he helped to lead the inter-agency process that oversaw the multi-billion-dollar investment in skills training and jobs development within the environmental and green energy sectors.
Van Jones Awards
His awards include:
- An Emmy Award; the World Economic Forum’s “Young Global Leader” designation.
- Rolling Stone’s “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done.”
- TIME’s 2009 “100 Most Influential People in The World.”
- An NAACP President’s Award.
- The Root’s “The Root 100.”
Van Jones Books
Jones is an author of three New York Times best-selling books:
- Beyond the Messy Truth (2017)
- The Green Collar Economy (2008)
- Rebuild the Dream (2012), about his journey as an environmental and human rights activist to becoming a White House policy advisor.
Van Jones Kim Kardashian
Van has been helping Kim Kardashian achieve her goal of becoming a lawyer. Because of this they have been seen together a couple of times. This struck the rumor that Kim may be divorcing her husband Kanye West to be with Van.
Since Van is presently single people jumped to the conclusion that there might be something more than just friendship between them.
So far none of them has confirmed the dating rumors.
where does Van Jones live
He lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Van Jones Salary
His salary is under review.
Van Jones Net Worth
He has a net worth of around $5 million.