Laughing over the death of babies in Hamas' war with Israel had CNN's Van Jones apologizing profusely overnight into Sunday morning after his appearance on Friday's "Real Time With Bill Maher."
"Yeah, I messed up on this one," Jones wrote on X when called out for using "dead Gaza baby" and "Diddy" as a punch line for laughs. "And I'm sorry.
"I was trying to raise awareness about foreign adversaries creating chaos online — which is undermining democracy everywhere. But what I said was easily misunderstood, and the way I said it was flat-out insensitive. Babies are dying every day in Gaza. Nobody should dispute that fact or make light of it in any way.
"To the people living in fear and burying family members every day, of all ages — I apologize."
Jones made no apology or mention of the babies slaughtered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump frequently remind the world in speeches, including at the U.N. General Assembly last month, that terrorists put babies into ovens and forced their families to watch their horrific death.
The comment that brought Jones' apology was using the sentencing of Sean "Diddy" Combs and "dead Gaza baby" in his punch line.
"Iran and Qatar have come up with a disinformation campaign that they are running through TikTok and Instagram that is massive," Jones told Maher. "If you are a young person, you are opening up your phone, and all you see is — dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby."
After getting blasted from all sides on social media, Jones was forced to make multiple apologetic posts after midnight Saturday.
"I made a comment on Real Time with Bill Maher about the war in Gaza that was insensitive and hurtful," Jones added on X. "I apologize. The suffering of the people of Gaza — especially the children — is not a punch line. I'm deeply sorry it came across that way.
"What's happening to children in Gaza is heartbreaking. As a father, I can't begin to imagine the pain their parents are enduring, unable to protect their kids from unimaginable harm. I'm praying and working for an immediate end to this war — and for peace and safety for every family caught in its path.
"I'm truly sorry for the pain my words caused to people who are already suffering more than anyone should."
Again, Jones made no mention of the babies slaughtered by terrorists. The civilian deaths in Gaza, Israel has long noted to deaf ears in liberal media, are a function of Hamas' terrorist tactic of using Gaza civilians and hostages as human shields.
Israel is hunting down Hamas terrorists in Gaza in pursuit of the 250-plus hostages taken in the raid two years ago – both dead and alive. In the Israeli Defense Forces' search, Israeli officials note the terrorists and hostages are being found hidden under hospitals and children's schools and in terror tunnels funded by stolen humanitarian aid for the past two decades under Hamas' reign.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.