In a significant development, The Onion has announced its acquisition of Alex Jones’ controversial media platform, Infowars, following an extensive 18-month legal process in Texas bankruptcy court. The satirical outlet confirmed the deal on Monday, marking a notable transition for the show that has long been associated with conspiracy theories.
The acquisition comes on the heels of Jones’ legal battles stemming from a defamation lawsuit brought by families of victims from the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, where 20 children and six adults lost their lives. Jones faced scrutiny for labeling the victims as “crisis actors,” which ultimately led to court orders in Texas and Connecticut mandating him to liquidate assets to cover approximately $1.5 billion in liabilities.
Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, shared insights on the acquisition during a conversation with journalist Pablo Torre, emphasizing the company’s commitment to compensating Sandy Hook victims financially as part of the transition. “We want them to be able to get paid for real at some point with actual human dollars as part of this process,” Collins stated. He confirmed that The Onion has taken control of the Infowars studio, intellectual property, and website.
The transition is expected to be completed within days. KUT News reached out to both The Onion and Jones’ bankruptcy attorney for confirmation regarding the sale but has not yet received a response.
Previously, Jones hinted at the acquisition during a podcast, stating, “We’ve beaten so many attacks. But, finally, we’re shutting down in the middle of next month.” His assets, including the South Austin studio and production equipment used for Infowars, have been subject to sale as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. Jones’ attempts to prevent the sale of Infowars to The Onion in 2024 were unsuccessful, and a judge recently dismissed his efforts to overturn the defamation ruling.
In the wake of these developments, Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, has been gradually liquidating assets to raise funds for the plaintiffs. Collins indicated plans to continue programming under the Infowars brand, albeit with some rebranding and restructuring. Notably, the site intends to replace the “o” in “Infowars” with The Onion’s logo and is considering comedian Tim Heidecker as a potential new host for the show.
This story continues to evolve.
