The Onion reaches new deal to take over Alex Jones’ Infowars

By Hadas Gold, CNN

(CNN) — Satirical news site The Onion said it has reached an agreement to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars company, in a move that could help repay the more than $1 billion he owes the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.

Should The Onion win court approval, it would cap a legal saga lasting more than 18 months over the future of Jones’ website and show.

“We’ve wanted this the whole time. We have not backed down at any moment,” The Onion CEO Ben Collins told CNN in an interview.

Under the agreement, and with the support of the Sandy Hook families, The Onion will initially pay a monthly licensing fee to the court-appointed receiver overseeing InfoWars. Collins said the company has also signed a deal to purchase the full assets once the current judicial stay expires.

Jones was found liable for defamation in 2022 after repeatedly claiming on-air that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, in which six adults and 20 children were killed, was a “hoax.” He has yet to pay a single cent of the more than $1 billion in damages he owes the families. As a result, Jones’ assets went up for sale.

In 2024, The Onion won a court-mandated auction for Infowars’ parent company, backed by the Sandy Hook families. But a federal bankruptcy judge halted the sale, citing concerns about the auction process and disputes over the bids. The judge later said the families should pursue what they’re owed in state court rather than at the federal level.

In August 2025, the state court ruled that InfoWars’ parent company would be turned over to the court-appointed receiver, who would be responsible for selling the assets and using the proceeds to pay Jones’ debts to the Sandy Hook families.

“It’s been eight years and three days since the Sandy Hook families initially filed this lawsuit, and they have not received a f**king penny,” Collins said. “So, we’re excited to get them immediate pennies with some merch sales — but also longer-term pennies once we do wind up eventually straight up buying this thing.”

The new InfoWars will operate as a digital platform and comedy network led by “creative director” Tim Heidecker of “Tim & Eric” fame, who will parody Jones himself.

The outlet will aim to feature newer, independent comedians who “don’t have a mountain to climb in the comedy world,” Collins said. “We want to give them that mountain.”

There will be plenty of The Onion’s signature style of news satire, Collins said, noting that much of the initial content will parody social media influencers and media figures like Jones who peddle questionable supplements.

“The Sandy Hook families took on Alex Jones to stop him from inflicting the same harm on others. For years, he used his corrupt business platform to torment and harass them for profit,” said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families. “When InfoWars finally goes dark, the machinery of lies that Jones built will become a force for social good, thanks to the families’ courage and The Onion’s vision, persistence and stewardship.”

Jones said on his show Monday that he will keep “the exact same show” on a new site and will “continue to fight” what he has called “incredible corruption” in the legal case against him. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A hearing on The Onion’s licensing agreement is set for April 30 in Travis County, Texas.

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