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Did The Onion buy Infowars? Here's what's happening
The Onion has entered a licensing agreement with Infowars' bankruptcy receiver, Gregory S. Milligan, moving towards acquisition pending court approval.
Satirical outlet The Onion has moved a step closer to taking control of Infowars, the conspiracy theory platform founded by Alex Jones.
According to The New York Times, The Onion has entered a new licensing agreement with the bankruptcy receiver overseeing Infowars, Gregory S. Milligan. The deal, however, remains subject to court approval and is not yet final.
Read more: Alex Jones threatens to ‘go nuclear’ after Trump mocks him
A deal in progress
Onion CEO Ben Collins also made the announcement, writing on Bluesky that, “With the help of the Sandy Hook families, The Onion has reached a long-awaited deal to take over InfoWars.” Collins also said on Bluesky that Infowars’ new creative director will be comedian Tim Heidecker.”
It seems there is more info to come as Collins added, “Please stand by for more.”
Collins also shared a link to a statement allegedly released by Bryce P. Tetraeder, the fake owner of Global Tetrahedron. The statement read, “Today I can finally say the sweetest nine or 10 words in the English language: Global Tetrahedron has completed its plan to control InfoWars.”
The statement further read, “With this new InfoWars, we will democratize psychological torture, welcoming brutal and sadistic ideas from everyone, even the very stupidest among us. It will be like the Manhattan Project, only instead of a bomb, we will be building a website.”
Read more: Melania leaving Trump? Alex Jones’ Epstein claim sparks buzz
Earlier attempt blocked despite winning bid
The Onion has made two attempts to purchase Infowars. Global Tetrahedron won a 2024 bankruptcy auction to purchase the business, vowing to make the website a parody of itself. However, a bankruptcy judge nullified the results, stating that he did not believe that the company's bid was more valuable than one made by Jones's supporters.
The announcement is the most recent in a never-ending string of court battles that started in 2018 when Jones was sued for defamation by the relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass massacre. He repeatedly claimed on-air that the shootings were fabricated and a hoax.
Jones lost all of the lawsuits brought against him in Texas and Connecticut by default. Additionally, Jones's attempt to have the almost $1.5 billion defamation judgment against him last year overturned was also denied by the US Supreme Court.
Ben Collins has many ideas for Infowars
Collins told The New York Times that The Onion intends to transform Infowars into a humorous website. He detailed that he would like to add “satirical references” to Jones's well-known “fringe conspiracy beliefs.”
According to the outlet, Heidecker, who will be the creative director, has also been preparing well and trying to improve his impression of Jones. Heidecker also has plans to turn Infowars “into a destination for independent and experimental comedy.”
