One day after inserting himself into headlines by ambushing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at Los Angeles International Airport, as Newsweek reported, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was again making a national news story all about himself. Jones went on his InfoWars show and pushed an off-the-cuff, unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about the death of beloved celebrity chef and CNN Parts Unknown host Anthony Bourdain.
Bourdain died reportedly by suicide in a French hotel room, where he was found by a friend on Friday morning, according to a CNN report. Police in Strasbourg, France, said that Bourdain died at the luxury Le Chambard Hotel in Kayserberg, and that “at this stage, nothing suggests the intervention of a third party,” People Magazine reported.
But the police account was not good enough for the 44-year-old Jones, who took to the airwaves Friday afternoon, claiming that Bourdain had been murdered — supposedly because he was “planning to basically do a Kanye West,” according to a transcript published by Media Matters .
Presumably, by “do a Kanye West” Jones meant that Bourdain was planning to announce his support for Donald Trump. In April, star hip hop performer West announced his “love” for Trump and referred to Trump as “my brother,” saying, “we are both dragon energy,” according to a message on his Twitter feed.
Jones himself is an outspoken supporter of Trump, and Trump has adopted his conspiratorial thinking to such an extent that the New York Times editorial board called Trump’s term so far “The Alex Jones Presidency.” Just last month, as the Inquisitr reported, Jones praised Trump for, Jones claimed, secretly fighting intelligent computers that want to kill all humans.
Jones also claimed on Twitter that Bourdain “was planning to go public against the deep state.”
Twitter users reacted with rage and dismay as soon as word of the unsubstantiated conspiracy theory by Jones was spread online. Jones has also long claimed that the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax, and is now being sued by families of the victims, according to the New York Times .
Alex Jones went on air today and claimed Bourdain was murdered by globalists because he planned on coming out as a Trump supporter. I wish I was making this up.
— Secular Talk? (@KyleKulinski) June 8, 2018
I hope Alex Jones has thousands of mosquito bites on the backside of his balls forever until the end of time https://t.co/rPf3sUv62o
— Helen Rosner (@hels) June 8, 2018
Jones provoked sarcasm from a former CIA officer, John Sipher.
Logical. https://t.co/oq2VyGbnaH
— John Sipher (@john_sipher) June 8, 2018
While one journalist noted Jones’ own political leaning.
Bourdain was not a fan of Trump at all to put it mildly.
— Scott (@IamScottlevine) June 8, 2018
But other Twitter users were simply depressed by Jones and his seeming insensitivity to victims of violence and tragedy.
#FridayFeeling Broken hearted ? for the family of #AnthonyBourdian who has to process this tragedy while now dealing with the public, horrible, delusional and disturbing statements made by my ex, Alex Jones about his death.
Every day a new low. pic.twitter.com/ahpEAqelLd
— Kelly Jones (@RealKellyJones) June 8, 2018
It’s like Alex Jones WANTS every chef in America to spit in his food for the rest of his life
— YULoveThatHipHopShit (@cohenfucius) June 8, 2018
On his InfoWars website, Jones continued expanding his fact-free conspiracy theory, stating without citing any sources or examples that “some of Bourdain’s friends think he may have been killed to silence him.”
You disgusting husk of a “man”. Bourdain would tear you to shreds. Keep his name out of your mouth and let his loved ones grieve in peace.
— susan (@Osusannahh) June 8, 2018
In another twist on his improvised conspiratorial ravings, Jones also managed to spuriously link Bourdain’s death to Hillary Clinton, supposedly because he criticized Clinton for a supposedly slow response to the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal. In the same Twitter post, Jones also managed to make the Bourdain tragedy about himself, writing, “Let me just say I will never commit arkancide or Clintoncide! … she came she saw he died.”
I can’t believe that Alex Jones is actually blaming Hillary Clinton for Anthony Bourdain, dying. Mind boggling insanity.
— OGAnne Inanna Holy Vessel (@AnneECheck) June 8, 2018
And one user suggested that Twitter itself should step in and block Jones from posting.
But most of Twitter was filled with tributes to Bourdain, including one from author and food historian Michael Twitty, who took to his own Twitter account to praise Bourdain for the inclusiveness and understanding that was the central theme of his work.
“Black folks loved this man because he didn’t appropriate, when it came to us all he could do was celebrate. He told the world we were the center of Southern and Brazilian food and he let us speak for ourselves. Anthony Bourdain was the John Brown of food media,” Twitty wrote on Twitter .
“Anthony Bourdain did not exploit race or religion or other human conflicts,” Twitty tweeted . “Rather he illuminated how food played a role in the deep passions behind those conflicts and challenged us to not see bad or good but human.”
