Income Taxes - Tax Provision - Attributable to Controlling Interests and Non-controlling Interests (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Tax provision
Income tax provision (benefit)	$ (2,419)	$ (12,388)	$ (2,398)	$ (1,685)
Jones Energy, Inc.
Tax provision
Income tax provision (benefit)	(2,414)	(12,215)	(2,400)	(1,646)
Non-controlling Interest
Tax provision
Income tax provision (benefit)	$ (5)	$ (173)	$ 2	$ (39)

Amount of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-Subparagraph (a),(b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32639-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Income Tax Expense (or Benefit)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6515339

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration