The Onion Seeks Temporary Control of Alex Jones' Infowars in Court-Backed Plan
Parody platform proposal tied to $1.4B Sandy Hook defamation judgment faces opposition from Jones
L'essentiel
- The Onion's parent company proposes $81,000 monthly lease for six months to operate Infowars as a satirical platform, backed by court receiver and Sandy Hook families.
- Alex Jones opposes the plan, accusing the outlet of misrepresentation.
- A hearing is set for April 30 in Texas.
Résumé généré par IA
The Onion is seeking to take temporary control of Alex Jones' Infowars and transform it into what its executives describe as a parody version of the conspiracy platform itself, under a new court-backed proposal tied to the broadcaster's Sandy Hook defamation liabilities.
The plan, submitted in Texas state court, would give Global Tetrahedron, the parent company of The Onion, a six-month lease over Infowars' intellectual property and operations at $81,000 per month, with an option to extend the arrangement for another six months. The proposal has backing from the court-appointed receiver and lawyers for the Sandy Hook families, but it still requires final judicial approval.
The Onion wants to repurpose the Infowars website and social media accounts for satirical content, while Ben Collins, the outlet's chief executive, said the goal is to build it into a broader comedy platform. Comedian Tim Heidecker is expected to serve as creative director if the deal goes ahead.
Jones has pushed back on the plan, accusing the Onion of trying to "misrepresent" Infowars and confuse viewers by presenting itself as the real outlet under the guise of parody. He argued that parody did not entitle anyone to take over another platform's identity, said his team had "already checked with lawyers," and claimed he was already pursuing legal action against what he described as politically aligned law firms.
Jones insisted that even if he lost control of Infowars' current site or studio, he and his team would continue broadcasting elsewhere through what he described as an expanded "Alex Jones Network" and new websites already being prepared.
The move marks a renewed attempt by The Onion to acquire control over Infowars after a bankruptcy judge blocked its earlier winning auction bid in December 2024, leaving Jones in possession of the platform for the time being.
Jones' media company, Free Speech Systems, entered bankruptcy proceedings as he faced more than $1 billion in defamation judgments stemming from his false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The US Supreme Court later declined to hear his appeal, leaving the roughly $1.4 billion judgment in place.
A hearing on the latest licensing arrangement is reportedly set for April 30 in Travis County, Texas, and Jones could still appeal any adverse ruling.
