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CHICAGO — The Onion, renowned for its satirical take on current events, has unveiled intentions to step into the shoes of Infowars, the controversial platform led by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. This move comes as Jones’ company faces the brink of liquidation, plagued by over $1 billion in defamation penalties owed to families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
In a filing submitted on Monday to a Texas state judge, The Onion seeks an exclusive, temporary license to utilize Infowars’ intellectual property. If approved, this would grant the satirical outlet the ability to feature its unique content across Infowars’ digital platforms, including its website and social media channels.
Ben Collins, The Onion’s chief executive, revealed that the arrangement could be operational by April 30, contingent upon the approval of Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin. Collins disclosed that The Onion has already recruited talent, including Tim Heidecker—one half of the comedic duo Tim and Eric, famous for their work on Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim”—to transform Infowars into a parody site.
“We aim to expand this into a broader comedy network,” Collins stated in a phone interview on Monday. He assured that profits generated from this revamped operation would benefit the Sandy Hook families.
Collins further added, “Today, people often consume news from individuals who, without any credible expertise, broadcast conspiracy theories or dubious health advice that could be harmful. Our goal is to craft a series of characters and narratives that parody these types of phenomena.”
After the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, which killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, Jones called it a hoax staged by “crisis actors” in an effort to increase gun control. Many relatives of the victims, along with an FBI agent who responded to the shooting, sued Jones and his company for defamation and infliction of emotional distress.
On his show Monday, Jones vowed to fight the licensing proposal in court but acknowledged he and his crew could be kicked out of the building at the end of the month. He said he would continue his shows in another studio he is preparing, and they would air on his personal X account and other new social media accounts and websites, as well as dozens of radio stations. He also has set up new websites for the merchandise he sells, including dietary supplements and clothing that bring in millions of dollars a year.
“I’m going to continue the exact same show,” he said. “It’ll just be called the ‘Alex Jones Show.’ So, it’s the same satellite, same system. It’s a different news site and news studio. So I’m not going anywhere.”
The licensing deal with The Onion would be for six months, with the right to renew it for another six months as a court-appointed receiver works to eventually sell the assets of Infowars’ parent company, Austin-based Free Speech Systems, and give proceeds to the Sandy Hook families. The receiver is supporting the plan, which calls for The Onion to pay $81,000 a month to cover the rent for the building housing Infowars’ studios, along with utilities and other costs.
During a trial of the defamation suit in Connecticut in 2022, victims’ relatives testified that people whom they called followers of Jones subjected them to death and rape threats, in-person harassment and abusive comments on social media over the hoax claims. Jones argued there was never any proof that linked him to the actions of others.
A jury and judge awarded the families and the FBI agent more than $1.4 billion in damages. In a similar lawsuit in Texas, the parents of a child killed at Sandy Hook were awarded nearly $50 million. Jones appealed both awards. He lost his challenges to the Connecticut judgment, while his appeal of the Texas award is still pending.
Jones filed for bankruptcy in late 2022. In those proceedings, an auction was held in November 2024 to liquidate Infowars’ assets to help pay the defamation judgments, and The Onion was named the winning bidder. But the bankruptcy judge threw out the auction results, citing problems with the process and The Onion’s bid.
The attempt to sell off Infowars’ assets later moved to the state court in Texas, where Guerra Gamble appointed a receiver to liquidate the assets of Jones’ company. Jones is also appealing that ruling, which has put a hold on the liquidation.
A lawyer for the Sandy Hook families who sued Jones in Connecticut said they support The Onion’s plan.
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