The Onion wins Infowars auction

Satirical news publication The Onion announced yesterday that it won the bankruptcy auction bid to own Infowars, founded by controversial talk show host Alex Jones.

The sale was part of the $1.4 billion defamation settlement related to his false claims about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. The bid was supported by the mass shooting victims’ families, who had sued Jones for defamation.

Studio equipment, social media accounts, trademarks, video archives, and other Infowars assets were also included in the auction.

The Onion plans to relaunch Infowars in January as a parody, focusing on the website’s role in fueling false narratives. It will also have an exclusive ad partnership with the Everytown for Gun Safety nonprofit, founded in the aftermath of Sandy Hook.

However, a judge temporarily blocked the deal, raising concerns about the transparency of the auction and which assets were being sold, including Jones’s account on X.

Despite this, The Onion says the deal is secure. 

Families of Sandy Hook victims support the plan, seeing it as a way to limit Jones’s influence.