Onion Says ‘Infowars Is Ours’
Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge on Friday, June 14, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
A deal has been reached that could soon place the controversial media outlet InfoWars under new ownership, with a very different editorial direction planned for the platform. The satirical news organization The Onion announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire InfoWars in a move aimed at generating funds for the families of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims. Those families are owed more than $1 billion after winning defamation cases against InfoWars founder Alex Jones. The agreement must still be approved by a court, bringing to a close an 18-month legal dispute over the company’s future.
Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, said the organization has remained committed to acquiring the outlet since the process began. The Onion even marked the announcement with a headline declaring that InfoWars now belongs to them, accompanied by a modified version of the InfoWars flag displayed on the site.
According to the terms of the agreement, The Onion will begin paying a monthly licensing fee to the court-appointed receiver who currently oversees the parent company of InfoWars. Once an existing judicial pause on asset sales is lifted, The Onion plans to complete the purchase of the company’s assets outright.
The proposed takeover follows a complicated legal process. Earlier, The Onion had won a court-supervised auction for InfoWars with the backing of the Sandy Hook families. However, a federal bankruptcy judge later halted that sale after raising concerns about how the auction had been conducted and directed the families to continue the matter in state court. Eventually, a state judge transferred control of the company to a receiver tasked with selling it to benefit the families.
Collins confirmed the new agreement in an online statement, saying the deal was achieved with the support of the Sandy Hook families. Under The Onion’s plans, InfoWars would be transformed into a digital comedy and media platform. Collins said the outlet would feature up-and-coming comedians and satire aimed at internet influencer culture, including segments that parody media personalities who promote questionable health supplements.
The shift in direction began with a redesign that merges elements of The Onion and InfoWars branding, along with a satirical column written by a fictional executive representing The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, outlining the humorous vision for the platform’s future. Comedian Tim Heidecker is overseeing the creative aspects of the rebranding effort.
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