The satirical news outlet The Onion is back with a new plan to take over the Infowars platform of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as his company faces liquidation over more than $1 billion in defamation judgments owed to relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Under a proposal submitted Monday to a state judge in Texas, The Onion would be granted an exclusive, temporary license to the intellectual property of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, allowing the outlet to put its own content on the Infowars website and social media accounts.
Ben Collins, chief executive of The Onion, said the deal could be in place around April 30, if approved by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin. He noted that The Onion has already hired personnel to run Infowars as a parody site, including Tim Heidecker, half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric, known for their work on Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” shows.
“We’ll build this into a bigger comedy network,” Collins shared in a phone interview Monday, adding that the Sandy Hook families would receive profits from the new operations.
“A big part of it for us is that the way people consume news now is they see someone who has no idea what they’re talking about staring into their camera and coming up with conspiracy theories or telling you health hacks that will actually get you poisoned,” he explained. “We’re going to create a bunch of characters and worlds around those kinds of things.”
After the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, which resulted in the deaths of 20 first graders and six educators, Jones wrongly labeled it a hoax staged by “crisis actors” to further gun control agendas. In response, many relatives of the victims and an FBI agent who responded to the scene have sued Jones for defamation and emotional distress.
On his show Monday, Jones vowed to contest the licensing proposal in court while acknowledging the potential of being vacated from the premises at the month's end. He indicated he would continue broadcasting from a different studio, extending his reach to other social media accounts and radio stations.
The licensing arrangement with The Onion is projected to last six months but could be renewed as a court-appointed receiver manages to sell off Free Speech Systems’ assets and provide proceeds to the Sandy Hook families. The arrangement includes a monthly payment of $81,000 to cover rent and utilities for Infowars' studio.
During the Connecticut defamation suit trial in 2022, victims’ families testified suffering harassment, threats, and abuse from Jones’ followers due to his false claims of a hoax. Despite being awarded substantial damages, Jones has continually appealed these rulings.
In late 2022, Jones filed for bankruptcy. An auction to liquidate Infowars’ assets commenced but was halted by a judge due to procedural issues. Now, the state court has taken over asset liquidation processes.
A lawyer for the Sandy Hook families expressed support for The Onion’s takeover plan.
