{{Short description|American political commentator (born 1992)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Lawrence B. Jones | image = Lawrence Jones by Gage Skidmore.jpg | image_size = | caption = Jones in 2018 | birth_name = Lawrence Billy Jones III | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|12|10}} | birth_place = [[Garland, Texas]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | citizenship = | political_party = [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] | education = [[University of North Texas]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) | occupation = {{hlist|Radio host|television host|commentator}} | years_active = | employer = [[Fox News]] | website = https://www.lawrencejones.com/ }} '''Lawrence Billy Jones III''' (born December 10, 1992) is an American [[libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]] political commentator, author and a current co-host of the weekday edition of ''[[Fox & Friends]]'' on the [[Fox News Channel]].<ref name="people">{{Cite magazine |last1=Chamlee |first1=Virginia |title=Fox News to Announce Lawrence Jones as New 'Fox & Friends' Co-Host |url=https://people.com/lawrence-jones-named-fox-friends-co-host-7969315 |access-date=September 14, 2023 |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=September 14, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> He served as host of ''[[Lawrence Jones Cross Country]]'' from 2022 to 2023. In September 2023, Jones, 30, became the youngest Black co-host on cable news.<ref name="people" />
==Early life== Jones was raised by his mother, Tameria, and father, Lawrence Jones II. Jones has stated that he served as "youth mayor" of [[Garland, Texas]], in 2009.<ref name="sting" /> He graduated from [[Garland High School]] in 2011<ref name="garland" /> and studied political science and criminal justice at the [[University of North Texas]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Lawrence_Billy_Jones_III |title=Lawrence Billy Jones III |website=Ballotpedia}}</ref><ref name="Denton" />
== Career == Jones was hired as student advocate in the [[Garland Independent School District]], becoming their youngest employee.<ref name="garland">{{Cite news |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/just-a-year-after-graduating-from-garland-isd-he-wants-to-help-run-the-school-district-7123066 |title=Just a Year After Graduating From Garland ISD, He Wants to Help Run the School District |last=Howard |first=Greg |date=January 20, 2012 |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]] |access-date=July 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lbj3.com/about/|title=About|website=Lawrence B. Jones|access-date=July 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407052616/https://lbj3.com/about/|archive-date=April 7, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> When he was 19, he ran for a seat on the school board for this district, but lost.<ref name="sting" /> He served two years as a board member for Dallas County Child Welfare.{{clarify|date=October 2025}}<ref name="activist" /><ref>{{Cite report|url=https://www.dallascounty.org/department/comcrt/agenda/files/2013Jan29f.pdf|title=Commissioner's Court Agenda|date=January 29, 2013|publisher=[[Dallas County, Texas|The County of Dallas]]|access-date=July 3, 2016|archive-date=April 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430071128/http://dallascounty.org/department/comcrt/agenda/files/2013Jan29f.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2012, Jones was on the Garland Parks and Recreation Board.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2012 |title=Minutes of the Parks and Recreation Board |url=http://www.garlandtx.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=8700 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816152907/http://www.garlandtx.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=8700 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |access-date=November 25, 2022 |website=Recreation Board of the City of Garland, Texas}}</ref> In 2013, he was named Activist of the Year by [[FreedomWorks]].<ref name="activist">{{Cite web |url=http://www.freedomworks.org/content/freedomworks-announces-2013-activist-year-lawrence-jones |title=FreedomWorks Announces 2013 Activist of the Year: Lawrence Jones |last=Bodnar |first=Jackie |date=September 29, 2014 |website=[[FreedomWorks]] |access-date=July 3, 2016}}</ref> That year, he went undercover for [[Project Veritas]], the conservative organization founded by [[James O'Keefe]] known for publishing deceptively edited videos,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Choi |first1=Joseph |title=Matt Gaetz makes six-figure ad buy targeting CNN amid sex trafficking allegations |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/548349-matt-gaetz-makes-six-figure-ad-buy-targeting-cnn-amid-sex-trafficking-allegations/ |newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=July 14, 2024 |language=en |date=April 14, 2021 |quote=Project Veritas is known for publishing undercover sting footage that has been deceptively edited to reflect badly on organizations and people it disagrees with.}}</ref> for the purpose of exposing allegations of fraud among vendors who enrolled individuals in the healthcare marketplace of the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]].<ref name="sting">{{Cite news |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/meet-lawrence-b-jones-iii-the-unt-student-behind-the-obamacare-navigator-sting-7139424 |title=Meet Lawrence B. Jones III, the UNT Student Behind the Obamacare-Navigator Sting |last=Nicholson |first=Eric |date=November 14, 2013 |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]] |access-date=July 3, 2016}}</ref>
In April 2015, Jones created a fundraiser for Memories Pizza, a pizza shop in [[Indiana]] that closed after receiving backlash when its owners said they would refuse to cater a gay wedding if asked. The fundraiser raised $844,000 for the family, which was used in part for bills and partly donated to charity and the owner's church.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/donors-raise-cash-indiana-pizza-shop-gay-marriage-slap-article-1.2170564 |title=Donors raise cash for Indiana pizza shop's gay marriage slap |last=Murphy |first=Doyle |date=April 1, 2015 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |access-date=July 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-800-000-windfall-for-memories-pizza-it-115701726084.html |title=The $800,000 Windfall for Memories Pizza: It Started as a Joke |last=Tynan |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Tynan |date=April 6, 2015 |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |work=[[Yahoo! Tech]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427103026/https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-800-000-windfall-for-memories-pizza-it-115701726084.html |archive-date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=July 3, 2016}}</ref>
He hosts ''The Lawrence Jones Show'' on [[TheBlaze Radio Network]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} He was previously a contributor to conservative television show ''Dana'', hosted by [[Dana Loesch]] on [[Blaze Media]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/750k-raised-memories-pizza-anti-gay-backlash-article-1.2172849 |title=Over $750K raised for Memories Pizza after anti-gay backlash |last=Golgowski |first=Nina |date=April 3, 2015 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |access-date=July 3, 2016}}</ref><ref name="pizza">{{cite news |last=Moyer |first=Justin Wm. |date=April 6, 2016 |title=Conservative commentator Lawrence B. Jones behind crowdfunding for Ind. pizza shop that won't cater gay wedding |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/06/indiana-pizza-shop-gofundme-page-set-up-by-glenn-beck-news-site/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116203144/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/06/indiana-pizza-shop-gofundme-page-set-up-by-glenn-beck-news-site/ |archive-date=January 16, 2022 |access-date=January 17, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>
In February 2018, he became [[editor-in-chief]] of the conservative website ''[[Campus Reform]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.campusreform.org/Author/?AuthorID=1596130 |title=Lawrence Jones |website=[[Campus Reform]] |access-date=February 5, 2018}}</ref><ref name="jemele">{{Cite news |first=Matt |last=Bonesteel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/22/fox-friends-guest-says-jemele-hill-isnt-worthy-of-award-because-shes-unemployed-shes-not/ |title='Fox & Friends' guest says Jemele Hill isn't worthy of award because she's unemployed. (She's not.) |date=May 22, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
In 2020, Jones considered himself libertarian.<ref name="Denton">{{Cite news |last=Breeding |first=Lucinda |date=July 22, 2020 |title=Black, Libertarian & curious: Fox contributor studied at UNT |url=https://dentonrc.com/entertainment/denton_time/black-libertarian-curious-fox-contributor-studied-at-unt/article_09745dc8-7e62-575f-818e-ccda12622c2b.html |access-date=September 19, 2021 |newspaper=[[Denton Record-Chronicle]]}}</ref>
=== Fox News === In May 2018, Jones claimed on [[Fox News]] that, because [[ESPN]] personality [[Jemele Hill]] was unemployed, she therefore did not deserve a journalism award from the [[National Association of Black Journalists]], and that the NABJ was seeking to "applaud unemployment."<ref name="jemele" />
In April 2019, Jones wore a small bulletproof vest during a Fox News segment where he was at the [[Mexico–United States border]] in [[Laredo, Texas]]. He was subsequently mocked online, and a number of journalists who routinely cover the border region said they have never used protective gear in the course of the reporting. In his next appearance on Fox News, Jones wore a larger vest and said that the [[U.S. Border Patrol]] had told him to wear a bulletproof vest for his safety.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Salvador |last=Hernandez |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/fox-news-lawrence-jones-border-vest |title=A Fox News Contributor Was Mocked For Wearing What Looked Like A Tiny Bulletproof Vest At The Border |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |date=April 5, 2019 |access-date=July 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Alex |last=Horton |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/04/fox-news-contributor-wore-protective-vest-border-among-safest-spots-us/ |title=Fox News contributor mocked for wearing 'totally ridiculous' body armor at the border |date=April 4, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Alex |last=Horton |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/04/05/fox-news-contributor-wears-protective-vest-at-the-border-among-the-safest-spots-in-the-u-s/ |title=Fox News contributor wears protective vest at the border – among the safest spots in the U.S. |date=April 5, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Mercury News]] |access-date=July 10, 2019}}</ref>
In July 2019, Jones blamed the [[Obama Administration]] for a lenient [[plea deal]] that sex offender and accused child sex trafficker [[Jeffrey Epstein]] received in 2008, incorrectly asserting that Obama was president at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.vox.com/2019/7/10/20688767/fox-news-hannity-seth-rich-russia-tucker-carlson-ilhan-omar |title=One day encapsulated everything that's wrong with Fox News |last=Rupar |first=Aaron |date=July 10, 2019 |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |access-date=July 10, 2019}}</ref>
In October 2019, Jones relocated to [[New York City]] after it was announced that he had been promoted to a regular substitute host and co-host role at Fox News.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://press.foxnews.com/2019/10/fox-news-channel-elevates-contributor-lawrence-jones-to-new-expanded-role |title=Media Relations |website=Fox News |language=en |access-date=January 3, 2020 |date=October 30, 2019}}</ref> In 2022, he began hosting ''Lawrence Jones Cross Country'' on the network, in the former time slot of ''[[Justice with Judge Jeanine]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lawrence Jones goes 'Cross Country' to expose historic crime wave |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/lawrence-jones-travels-cross-country-historic-crime-wave |website=Fox News |access-date=February 1, 2022 |date=January 29, 2022}}</ref>
At the end of April 2023, Jones was selected to host ''[[Fox News Tonight]]'' for the week of May 1, the 8pm time slot on Fox News, serving as a temporary replacement for [[Tucker Carlson]] on filling the cancelled ''[[Tucker Carlson Tonight]]'' slot, following Fox's decision to part ways with Carlson.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-selects-lawrence-jones-as-tucker-carlsons-next-temporary-replacement |title=Lawrence Jones Named Tucker Carlson's Next Temporary Replacement |first=Katie |last=Hawkinson |date=April 29, 2023 |work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/tucker-carlson-fox-news-newsmax-ratings-1235341284/ |title=Lawrence Jones Will Host 'Fox News Tonight' Next Week; Show Edges Win In Total Viewers On Thursday, MSNBC's 'All In With Chris Hayes' Takes Demo |date=April 28, 2023 |first=Ted |last=Johnson |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> Jones helmed the program again for the week of June 26, 2023.
On September 14, 2023, Fox News announced that Jones had been named a permanent co-host of ''[[Fox & Friends]],'' and his weekend program was replaced with a program hosted by [[Brian Kilmeade]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=September 14, 2023 |title=Lawrence Jones to Join 'Fox & Friends' as Co-Host |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/lawrence-jones-fox-friends-co-host-1235723546/ |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|4776841}} * Subject of ''[[The Daily Show]]'', [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJuzlttiY1U Oct. 28, 2025]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Lawrence B.}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1992 births]] [[Category:American talk radio hosts]] [[Category:American television hosts]] [[Category:American libertarians]] [[Category:African-American journalists]] [[Category:Black conservatism in the United States]] [[Category:Blaze Media people]] [[Category:People from Dallas]] [[Category:University of North Texas alumni]] [[Category:Fox News people]] [[Category:21st-century American journalists]] [[Category:Journalists from Dallas]] [[Category:21st-century African-American people]]