Van Jones Wife, Gay, Family, Fired, Salary, Net Worth

Van Jones is known as a former Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation. Former American President Barack Obama appointed him to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Van is also an African American author known for his best-selling book The Green Collar Economy. He is also the CNN political contributor in The Van Jones Show. He resigned from Obama administration after increasing pressure on Obama to fire him amid controversial petition.

Van Jones Wife, Gay, Family, Fired, Salary, Net Worth

Quick Information

  • Date of Birth Sep 20, 1968
  • Age 55 Years, 6 Months
  • Nationality American
  • Profession Journalist, Author
  • Marital Status Single
  • Wife/Spouse Jana Carter (m. 2005- 2018)
  • Divorced Yes (Once)
  • Gay/Lesbian No
  • Net Worth Not disclosed
  • Ethnicity Afro-American
  • Social Media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, linked in
  • Children/Kids Mattie Jones, Cabral Jones
  • Education Jackson Central-Merry High School, University of Tennessee at Martin
  • Parents Willie Anthony Jones (Father), Loretta Jean (Mother)
  • Siblings Angela Jones (Sister)

Van Jones is known as a former Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation. Former American President Barack Obama appointed him to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Van is also an African American author known for his best-selling book The Green Collar Economy. He is also the CNN political contributor in The Van Jones Show.

How Did Van Jones Gather Net Worth?

Van Jones has accumulated notable part of his net worth from his career as American news commentator. He is earning his fortunes as the host of The Van Jones Show and as a regular contributor of CNN. The news anchor in CNN secures an average base pay of $57K. Their salary varies from $32,177 - $126,884 and with the bonus of $950-$23,958. The top earnings are more than $130K, and the individual also receives profit sharing wage of $740 - $55,752.

Read AboutDon Lemon Salary, Net Worth | How Much is CNN's Gay Host Worth?

He has also earned his wealth from his stint as an author who has published some bestselling books. His books like The Green Collar Economy and Rebuild the Dream ranked in New York Times as bestselling books. Van receives payments in the form of anticipated sales and collected royalties as he had a solid track record whose book had large marketing hook. His net worth has also improved from his stint as the best book author.

Van started his career as a legal observer in 1992 where he affiliated with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. He founded NGO, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in 1996. Then the non-practicing attorney published his best-selling book The Green Collar Economy in 2008. Van then joined CNN in June 2013 as a co-host of political debate show Crossfire.

In 2016 he launched a documentary series, The Messy Truth and his show The Van Jones Show aired on 2018 with Jay-Z as his first guest. During 1996 to 2015, Van received more than three dozens of awards including Brick AwardNAACP President's Award, and Rainbow Push Coalition's 2015 Vanguard Award. With his contribution as an American environmental advocate, CNN political contributor, and author, he has earned a net worth in more than millions of dollars.

Van Resigns From White House

Van Jones joined White House Council on Environmental Quality in March 2009. While he was a supporter of President Barack Obama, he decided not to work on his administration. Moreover, the special advisor was linked with the controversy for allegedly having signed a 2004 petition. The controversial petition signed demanded a congressional hearing to find out whether high-level government officials allowed the attack to happen.

Mike Pence, who was a chairman of the House Republican Conference, called Jones to resign or to be fired. He resigned on 5 September 2009 and named the controversy as "vicious smear campaign against me." Nancy Sutley, who was the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, accepted his resignation. Former President Barack Obama did not defend Van's comments but thanked Jones for his service on White House.

Also ReadSasha Obama Wiki, Age, Boyfriend, Net Worth | Barack Obama's Daughter

Married To Employment Lawyer!

The African American news commentator was married to an employment lawyer, Jana Carter. Van revealed about his wife Jana, whom he married in 2005, in his interview with Oakland Magazine in 2009. Speaking about Jana Carter, he said,

She used to run marathons and climb mountains. She is a power tools kind of girl. She's very independent, which makes it a little easier for her. She's not sitting there, waiting for me to fix the plumbing. She's very resourceful.

Van Jones and his wife, Jana Carter (Photo: atlantablackstar.com)

The couple is blessed with two children Mattie Jones and Cabral Jones. His two young sons ages around 10 and 14 years old. His elder son is an incredible athlete whereas his younger son, who has an interest in arts, is an introvert person. The family of four was residing in Washington, D.C. But after 13 years together, his then-better half filed for divorce in  L.A. County Court on 7 September 2018.

Don't Forget: Elizabeth Cohen CNN, Age, Married, Husband, Family, Parents, Height

Former Spouse Files For Divorce; Demands Spousal Support And Child Custody

Van Jones and Jana separated in back in May 2018. After three months of separation, Jana has filed for divorce on 7 September 2018 and demanded legal and physical custody of their two kids. She is also seeking spousal support from the CNN commentator.

However, they still maintain the professional bond and continue their role as a responsible parent. Van and his former better half released a joint statement and confirmed their split. They said,

 "Though we have decided to end our marriage, we still love each other very much. We will continue raising our kids together, running our businesses together and supporting each other's growth. There is no beef or drama -- just evolution."

Van Interviews 'Transparent' Creator

Amazon series' Transparent creator, Jill Soloway had a conversation about New Queer Revolution and LGBTQ movement with Van Jones. The exclusive interview was conducted by Van Jones, published in the entertainment magazine Out.com on 31 March 2017. Van asked the question to Jill regarding the involvement of gay men towards patriarchism.

Jill shared his views stating there were gay men when he viewed the patriarchy in the business television industry. He further uttered the homosexuality flourished since American culture worshipped masculinity. Gay men had access to the rooms whereas on the other side women, and transgender people lacked those access and freedom.

Short Bio

Van Jones was born on 20 September 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. as Anthony Kapel Jones. Van, age 49, belongs to Afro-American ethnicity. In his family, he has a sibling named Angela Jones.

As per wiki, he graduated from Jackson Central-Merry High School in 1986. Van then obtained his Bachelors of Science degree in communication and political science from the University of Tennessee at Martin and received J.D. degree from Yale University.