The Onion is heading back to court to try to take control of Alex Jones’ Infowars platforms and convert them into comedy sites that spoof the conspiracy theorist, setting up a new test for a Texas judge while Jones pursues last-minute appeals. The hearing, scheduled for Thursday, comes amid ongoing legal battles tied to the Sandy Hook defamation cases, in which Jones was found liable for falsely claiming that the 2012 Connecticut school shooting was staged.
The Onion’s bid faces opposition from Jones, who filed late appeals in both state and federal courts aimed at stopping the judge from considering the takeover. The dispute is tied to more than $1 billion Jones owes to relatives of victims from Sandy Hook, after he promoted the “crisis actors” theory in connection with the massacre.
The Sandy Hook lawsuits, filed by relatives of the 20 first graders and six educators killed in the shooting, accused Jones and his company of defamation and inflicting emotional distress. Relatives testified that Jones’s followers subjected them to death and rape threats, along with in-person harassment and abusive comments on social media. During the cases, Jones argued there was no proof linking him to the followers’ actions but conceded under oath that the shooting did happen.
As the litigation proceeded, a Connecticut case produced a judgment against Jones of more than $1.4 billion in damages, which was later reduced by about $150 million during appeals. In Texas, Jones was hit with nearly $50 million in damages, and his Texas appeal remained pending. Jones also filed for bankruptcy in late 2022, setting the stage for disputes about Infowars assets and how proceeds would be handled.
The Onion’s latest effort follows an earlier rejection of a similar bid. In bankruptcy proceedings that included a 2024 auction intended to liquidate Infowars assets to help pay off judgments, The Onion had been named the winning bidder. The bankruptcy judge later tossed that plan, citing problems with the bid and the bidding process, and then allowed the Sandy Hook families to pursue liquidation in state court—an outcome Jones has appealed.
Under the Onion’s new proposal, the company seeks a six-month licensing deal with a right to renew while a court-appointed receiver works toward selling Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems. The plan would direct proceeds from any eventual liquidation to the Sandy Hook families, and The Onion would pay $81,000 a month to cover rent for the building housing Infowars’ studios, utilities and other costs.
In addition to the financial and control terms, the Onion has described plans for what would replace Infowars’ existing programming. It said it hired people to run the revamped platforms, including Tim Heidecker, a performer known for his work with the comedy duo Tim and Eric. The Onion’s plan, according to the report, would rely on comedy and other forms of satire as it works to recast the sites under its brand.
Jones, however, has vowed to keep fighting an Onion takeover. He said that if control changes, he would continue broadcasting on his personal social media accounts, on new websites and through dozens of radio stations that air his program. Jones also said he plans to keep selling merchandise, including dietary supplements and clothing, which he says bring in millions of dollars a year.
The Onion also moved beyond the court filing by selling Infowars-themed merchandise on its own website, including T-shirts and tote bags featuring an Infowars logo that swaps the “o” with the Onion’s trademark image. Based in Chicago, The Onion has spent decades skewering politics and pop culture, including frequently mocking Jones in satirical articles and under the masthead banner “America’s Finest News Source.”
Collins, in a report on the broader context of the dispute, noted that mass shootings in the U.S. have often been followed by The Onion publishing slightly updated versions of one of its recurring pieces of satire about how certain patterns repeat. The hearing in Texas will determine whether the judge will allow the latest Onion plan to proceed, or whether Jones’s appeals will keep the Infowars platforms in his orbit for now.