The satirical news site The Onion says it has successfully acquired Infowars, the former home of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
The bid, announced Thursday, was backed by the Connecticut families of victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, who won a $1.4 billion defamation verdict against Jones in 2022.
“We were told this outcome would be nearly impossible, but we are no strangers to impossible fights,” said Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, in a statement. “The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability – the dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for.”
The Onion’s bid allows the site to take control of Infowars’ intellectual property, including its website, customer lists and inventory. The bid also acquired certain social media accounts and production equipment used to put Jones on the air.
The sale price was not immediately disclosed.
The Onion said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
“It’s fitting that a platform once used to profit off of tragedy will be a tool of education, hence our multi-year advertising commitment to this new venture,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety in a statement.
Jones confirmed The Onion's acquisition of Infowars in a social media video Thursday and said he planned to file legal challenges to stop it.
“Last broadcast now live from Infowars studios. They are in the building. Are ordering shutdown without court approval,” Jones said on the social platform X.
Jones was broadcasting live from the Infowars studio Thursday morning and appeared distraught, putting his head in his hand at his desk.
In June, a Texas bankruptcy court ruled on the liquidation of Jones’ assets, handing control to an independent trustee tasked with selling the assets off to generate the most possible value for the families.
“From day one, these families have fought against all odds to bring true accountability to Alex Jones and his corrupt business," said Chris Mattei, attorney for the Connecticut plaintiffs and partner at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, in a statement. "Our clients knew that true accountability meant an end to Infowars and an end to Jones’ ability to spread lies, pain and fear at scale."
The Onion, a satirical site that manages to persuade people to believe the absurd, bills itself as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events” and says it has 4.3 trillion daily readers.
This story will be updated. Connecticut Public's Patrick Skahill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
