The parent company of the satirical publication The Onion announced Thursday it has purchased Alex Jones’ Infowars franchise, which was auctioned off this week to help pay the nearly $1.5 billion Jones owes the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre for falsely claiming the school shooting was staged.
The satirical publication said a nonprofit advocating against gun violence will relaunch a version of the site.
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Key Takeaways
- Chris Mattei, an attorney representing some Sandy Hook families, confirmed the sale in a statement to Forbes, saying the divestment of Infowars’ assets by The Onion “will meaningfully hinder Jones’ ability to do more harm.”
- The purchase is reportedly backed by an advertising deal with advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
- Global Tetrahedron CEO Bryce Tetraeder, calling Jones a “forgettable man with an already forgotten name,” said a deal to acquire Infowars was an “easy one,” though neither Tetraeder nor The Onion disclosed details about the purchase.
- Jones responded to The Onion’s acquisition, saying there was a “competitive” auction for Infowars and that his show would be shutting down, though he claimed he would continue producing “The Alex Jones Show” until he was forced off the air.
- The Onion will relaunch Infowars in January as a parody website that would mock “weird internet personalities” like Jones, according to Ben Collins, the publication’s chief executive, who told The New York Times: “We thought this would be a hilarious joke.”
- The Sandy Hook families supported The Onion’s bid and the publication’s plan to use the relaunched site as a way to raise awareness about gun violence in the U.S., Collins said.
Crucial Quote
Robbie Parker, whose daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, told the Associated Press: “The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for.”
Key Background
A judge approved auctions to sell off Infowars’ assets in September to help foot the nearly $1.5 billion bill Jones was ordered to pay families of Sandy Hook victims. Jones—who shared conspiracy theories about the shooting hours after it took place— was ordered by a Texas jury to pay the families of two Sandy Hook victims $49.3 million in August 2022, two months before a Connecticut jury awarded $965 million to 15 plaintiffs, with another $473 million later added on for attorney fees. Jones earlier that year said he was “totally maxed out” financially after three of his companies, including Infowars, filed for bankruptcy.
Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company, filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 after reporting $79 million in debt. The Sandy Hook families first proposed Jones settle his debt through a 10-year payment plan, which Jones subsequently turned down to offer his own settlement plan that the families declined. The families subsequently asked Jones and his companies to liquidate their assets to pay the debt, and a trustee was appointed to oversee and sell Jones’ assets earlier this year after the families successfully argued Jones was diverting his assets to fund future business operations.
What To Watch For
It’s possible Jones’ assets, including his social media accounts and other intellectual property, will be auctioned off, according to Christopher Murray, the trustee overseeing Jones’ assets. Murray reportedly said he has requested court approval for new auctions.
