The satirical publication The Onion won the auction for Alex Jones’ Infowars, backed by families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. The AP reported on Thursday that Jones owes these families over $1 billion for defamation after falsely labeling the massacre a hoax. The Onion’s purchase includes Infowars’ website, social media accounts, studio, and archives, though the exact sale price was undisclosed. In a satirical post, The Onion joked that the bid was “less than one trillion dollars.”
Jones continued to broadcast all morning Thursday:
Jones responded by vowing to fight the sale, broadcasting angrily and declaring he would continue from a new location. The Onion’s CEO Ben Collins stated they plan to relaunch Infowars in January, with satire targeting conspiracy theories and right-wing personalities, along with educational resources on gun violence. The Sandy Hook families joined The Onion’s bid to halt Jones’ platform for spreading misinformation. First United American Companies, affiliated with one of Jones’ product sites, was designated as the backup bidder and has since raised concerns about the auction’s transparency.
Collins’ actions in taking over Infowars might indeed strike many as coldly vindictive, given that Alex Jones dedicated three decades to building the platform into a major voice for those who felt disenfranchised by corporate media. For millions, Infowars became a haven for alternative viewpoints, challenging mainstream narratives and advocating for an America First approach that resonated deeply with supporters of Donald Trump. To many in Jones’ audience, this takeover by The Onion, a satirical news outlet, seems especially harsh — a direct assault on the legacy of a platform that they feel gave them a voice.
Infowars was a pivotal force in the rise of a populist movement, amplifying messages that questioned establishment politics and resonated with individuals who felt unheard by corporate-controlled outlets. For supporters of Jones, this move feels like a calculated attempt to strip away not only his life’s work but also the unique space he created for political dissent and dialogue around issues often ignored by mainstream sources. Rebranding Infowars under a satirical guise, especially one that openly mocks the movement and figures it once promoted, seems, to these critics, as though it’s aimed at erasing a significant counter-narrative that impacted American politics.
Collins’ decision, bolstered by the Sandy Hook families, may have sought accountability for past wrongs, yet for many, it is tinged with the sting of erasure — a blow not just to Jones but to a whole community of voices that found empowerment and purpose in the Infowars message.