The Onion acquires Infowars at court-ordered auction
In a surprising move, satirical news outlet The Onion has acquired Infowars, the media platform led by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, after securing a winning bid at a court-ordered auction. The acquisition was backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, who previously won a $1.5 billion defamation suit against Jones for promoting false conspiracy theories about the 2012 tragedy.
The Texas judge ordered the auction in September, inviting bids from both Jones’s allies and critics. Jones, who founded Infowars in 1999, has since announced he will continue his broadcasts on alternative platforms, condemning the acquisition as a “total attack on free speech.”
“This is the tyranny of the New World Order, desperate to silence the American people,” Jones said in a video message. “I’ll be here until they turn the lights off.”
The Onion has big plans to reshape Infowars. Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, confirmed that the site will feature content from popular humor writers and internet creators. “We’re making it a very funny, very stupid website,” he said.
In a tongue-in-cheek article about the acquisition, The Onion mocked Infowars for its role in spreading anger and radicalizing vulnerable audiences, joking that Jones was “outwitted” and forced to sell “at a steep bargain: less than one trillion dollars.”
Chris Mattei, a lawyer representing families of eight Sandy Hook victims, expressed support for the acquisition. “Divesting Jones of Infowars’ assets is a public service,” Mattei said, “and will meaningfully hinder his ability to do more harm.” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie died at Sandy Hook, called the acquisition “the justice we have long awaited and fought for.”
Gun control nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety also announced a partnership with The Onion to advertise on the new Infowars site.
Alex Jones and Infowars: A Legacy of Conspiracy and Controversy
Jones initially built his audience in the 1990s as a fringe broadcaster in Austin, Texas, but Infowars gained a vast following, selling supplements and merchandise through its online shop. Over time, his platform became influential in far-right circles, drawing attention and support from Donald Trump, who once appeared on Infowars and praised Jones’s “amazing reputation.”
However, Jones’s financial troubles began following his unfounded claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, where 20 children and six staff members were killed. For years, Jones and his guests questioned the massacre’s authenticity, claiming it was a hoax or government operation. He called the event “a giant hoax” and speculated it involved actors. His rhetoric spurred harassment of Sandy Hook families, with some of Jones’s followers sending them disturbing messages, photos, and even traveling to Newtown to “investigate.”
Though Jones eventually admitted the reality of the attack, his statements led to defamation judgments against him. In 2022, he declared bankruptcy as the court case advanced, and in June 2024, a judge ordered the liquidation of his assets—including a multimillion-dollar ranch, properties, vehicles, and firearms—amounting to roughly $8.6 million. As The Onion rebrands Infowars, it aims to shift the platform’s tone from conspiracy-laden content to satirical, humor-driven material, marking a symbolic end to an era of misinformation on the site.
