CHICAGO — After two years of offers, negotiations and hearings, Chicago-based satirical news site The Onion looks to have finally acquired Alex Jones’ far-right media outlet InfoWars.
The news came early Monday morning, as Onion CEO Ben Collins posted on social media that, with “the help of the Sandy Hook families, The Onion has reached a long-awaited deal to take over InfoWars.”
The saga has been years in the making, with Chicago-based Global Tetrahedron, LLC (owned by former Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson) making an offer to purchase InfoWars from Jones in 2024. The offer came in the wake of Jones filing for bankruptcy following nearly $1.5 billion in cumulative damages against him in several lawsuits from the parents of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Jones falsely claimed that the shooting was a hoax and that the parents were crisis actors, causing the parents to sue for defamation. Judges ruled in the Sandy Hook parents’ favor in both lawsuits.
A bankruptcy court, however, shelved the sale months later, citing a lack of transparency in the auction process as Tetrahedron was competing with another buyer, a site closely associated with Jones.
Two years later, The Onion has returned with a new method of acquiring InfoWars: licensing the site from its court-appointed manager, Gregory Milligan. The New York Times reports that Milligan has asked that Texas Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, who is overseeing the sale, approve an agreement allowing Tetrahedron to license Infowars.com and the intellectual property associated with it for $81,000 per month.
This agreement — which still needs Guerra Gamble’s approval — covers a six-month period, with the option to renew for an additional six months.
Global Tetrahedron and The Onion aim to turn InfoWars into a parody of far-right conspiracy websites like the one Jones has operated since 1999. For now, Jones still runs InfoWars and hosts its flagship show, “The Alex Jones Show.” Jones also has the ability to appeal the ruling.
In his aforementioned post, Collins states that he has tapped comedian Tim Heidecker to become InfoWars’ Creative Director; Heidecker confirmed in a social media post, in which he affected an Alex Jones impression, complete with shaved head.
“We’re not really sure what we’re going to do with it,” Heidecker says in the video. “It’s an honor to take over the reins and chart a new path towards the future.”
While specific plans are still being made about InfoWars’ creative direction, The Times reports that The Onion will also sell merchandise, with proceeds being shared with the Sandy Hook families.
“This is a Chicago-based team at the center of a national story, and we’re proud to be building something ambitious here,” Onion Executive Editor Jordan LaFlure told Block Club on Monday. “It feels like we have an opportunity to use comedy to help right some wrongs, which is something we’ll — ironically — take very seriously.”
Some familiar faces from The Onion’s past will also make reappearances. Earlier Monday, The Onion posted a satirical video on social media depicting “Porkin’ Across America” character Jim Haggerty — played by actor Brad Holbrook — styling himself as a conspiracy-minded media anchor.
“Getting to see an entire group of nationally located creative folks coalesce around us and our vision here in Chicago is pretty bad-ass,” added Onion CMO Leila Brillson. “I’m so proud of the team; not just the people who are making headlines, but those in the building who have been pursuing this relentlessly.”
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