Liberal CNN analyst Van Jones revealed Saturday, September 20, that conservative activist Charlie Kirk reached out to him with an unexpected invitation just one day before Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. The message, which Jones described as shocking given their recent public dispute, called for respectful dialogue between the two political adversaries.
Jones shared Kirk’s direct message on social media, which read: “Hey Van, I mean it, I’d love to have you on my show” to discuss crime and race respectfully. The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder added that he would be a gentleman and acknowledged Jones would be as well, suggesting they could disagree about issues agreeably.
The invitation came amid an intense public feud between the two commentators over the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Kirk had claimed the killing of the white woman by a Black man was motivated by anti-white hatred, while Jones denounced those comments on CNN as unfounded. Kirk responded by going on television to criticize Jones’ denunciation and unleashing what Jones described as a firehose of tweets challenging his argument.
Jones indicated the public dispute had sparked an online torrent of racist death threats against him, noting that things were seriously heading off the rails between them. Despite this escalating tension, Kirk chose to reach out privately with his invitation for dialogue rather than continue the public confrontation.
The CNN analyst emphasized that he and Kirk were not friends at all, making the message particularly surprising to him. Jones initially was uncertain about sharing the private message after Kirk’s death, but ultimately decided it was important for the public to see. He explained that watching people discuss civil wars and censorship following Kirk’s assassination prompted him to reveal the message.
Jones stressed that on the last day of Kirk’s life, the conservative activist was reaching out for more conversation and dialogue rather than more censorship, even with someone who was clearly one of his adversaries. The CNN personality condemned the assassination immediately after it occurred, stating that Kirk fought with words, not weapons.
Tyler Robinson is accused of shooting and killing Kirk during a speaking event in Orem, Utah. The FBI reported that Robinson had texted about having the opportunity to take out Kirk and claimed that some hatred cannot be negotiated with. Jones never had the chance to respond to Kirk’s invitation before the assassination occurred.
Following Kirk’s death, social media was flooded with vile comments celebrating or mocking the influential conservative’s violent murder. Jones wrote on Instagram that Kirk’s murder gives everyone reason to come back to the table for dialogue, noting there is a rising tide of political violence that has swept away lives from both the left and right.
Jones argued that violence like Kirk’s assassination should compel people in both parties to turn down the heat, seek common ground, and look for off-ramps from the vitriol. He pointed to Kirk’s final message as proof that the conservative activist wanted to go a very different way than the path of violence, outrage, and censorship that some have chosen following his death.
Jones hoped that sharing Kirk’s message would help people on both sides deal with issues more like Kirk did in his final hours. He noted that both he and Kirk were advocates for words rather than weapons, and they were moving toward a position where real debate could occur, whether on CNN or Kirk’s show.
Kirk’s funeral was held Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, with more than 200,000 mourners in attendance. Former President Donald Trump and Kirk’s widow Erika were among the speakers at the service, highlighting the national impact of the evangelical conservative activist’s death.
