Infowars is making a comeback, albeit under new management and a different approach. The Onion, a satirical news organization, announced that it is moving forward with its plans to take over the conspiracy-driven website previously operated by Alex Jones.
Onion CEO Ben Collins revealed that the revamped Infowars will debut Thursday night, featuring comedian Tim Heidecker as the host of the inaugural livestream. In a humorous nod to Jones and his outlandish claims, Heidecker previously parodied Jones’ supplement sales by joking that he could transform viewers’ urine into gold while engaging in what he described as a blood-drinking Satanic ritual.
This launch occurs amidst ongoing legal proceedings involving the families of Sandy Hook victims, who are still negotiating in a Travis County court to finalize The Onion’s acquisition of Infowars. Despite the legal hurdles, Collins stated that the parody version of Infowars would proceed as planned and announced a commitment to donate $100,000 to the Sandy Hook families.
Collins emphasized the mission behind this initiative, saying, “From the beginning, this has been about the Sandy Hook families and making sure something better comes from a platform that caused so much harm. We got into this because we saw an opportunity to take one of the most evil things on the internet and turn it into something funny, creative, and actually useful.” He expressed excitement for the premiere as a glimpse into this vision.
Jones has faced significant legal repercussions for his actions on Infowars, having been found liable for defaming Sandy Hook families by labeling them as crisis actors and implying that the tragedy was fabricated. He was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages, declared bankruptcy in 2022, and has been compelled to liquidate assets, including Infowars. Although The Onion emerged as a potential buyer in 2024, Jones has effectively stalled the sale in the courts.
Recently, the Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Jones, sending the case back to the Travis County trial court, which has postponed the transfer of the Infowars domain to The Onion. Nevertheless, Collins asserted that The Onion would continue its efforts to take over the site despite the ongoing legal challenges. “We have too much to do to wait around,” he remarked.
In the meantime, Jones has launched a new platform following his exclusion from Infowars in May. Efforts to reach out to Jones’ attorney for a statement have yet to yield a response.
