Jeff Bezos donates $100 million each to CNN reporter Van Jones and chef Jose Andres for trying to ‘unify a divisive world’

The world’s wealthiest man, Jeff Bezos, and owner of Amazon has donated the stunning sum of $200m to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef José Andrés.

 He made the announcement on Tuesday, July 21, after flying to the edge of space that he planned to award $100 million each to both men.

Bezos said that Jones and Andres were free to do “what they want” with the money.

“They can give it all to their own charity,” Bezos said at a press conference after his trip to space. “Or they can share the wealth. It is up to them.”

The money, Bezos said, was tied to a “surprise” philanthropic initiative he wanted to announce called the Courage and Civility Award.

The award aims to honor those who have “demonstrated courage” and tried to be a unifier in a divisive world, Bezos added.

“We need unifiers and not vilifiers,” Bezos said. 

“We need people who argue hard and act hard for what they believe. But they do that always with civility and never ad hominem attacks. Unfortunately, we live in a world where this is too often not the case. But we do have role models.”

Jones, accepting the award, said that “sometimes dreams come true.”

“You bet on me and I appreciate it,” Jones told Bezos, later adding that it was money for him to “give to others who have a similar spirit.”

Andrés, a chef, who has poured his efforts into feeding those in need around the world, said that the award itself “cannot feed the world on its own.”

“But,” Andrés added, “this is a start of a new chapter for us.”

Anderson Cooper, who was anchoring CNN’s special coverage of Bezos’s trip to space said that the award was “quite a surprise.”

“None of us knew anything about it,” Cooper said.