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By Gabe Whisnant
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Right-wing commentator Alex Jones publicly disputed The Onion’s announcement that it had reached a deal to take control of Infowars, blasting the statement in a video and social media posts late Monday.
Jones’ response came hours after The Onion said it had struck an agreement tied to Infowars’ bankruptcy proceedings, marking a key moment in a long‑running legal fight stemming from defamation judgments against him.
The dispute underscores ongoing uncertainty over the future of Infowars as courts weigh control of the outlet and as Jones continues to challenge efforts he says are aimed at silencing him.
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Newsweek has reached out to Jones and The Onion via email on Monday afternoon for comment.
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Did The Onion Buy InfoWars?
The Onion has not bought Infowars outright, but the satirical outlet is seeking temporary control of the platform through a licensing deal tied to the ongoing liquidation of Alex Jones’ company. Under a proposal filed Monday with a Texas state court, The Onion would receive an exclusive, six‑month license to Infowars’ intellectual property, allowing it to post its own content on the Infowars website and social media accounts while a court‑appointed receiver works to sell the company’s assets.
The deal, submitted in Austin, would give The Onion control over the Infowars brand and platforms owned by Jones’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, which is facing liquidation to help satisfy more than $1 billion in defamation judgments awarded to families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Onion CEO Ben Collins said the agreement could take effect around April 30 if approved by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, who is overseeing the receivership.
The proposed license would initially last six months and could be renewed for another six months. As part of the arrangement, The Onion would pay $81,000 a month to cover rent, utilities and other costs associated with the Infowars studio space. Any profits generated during the licensing period would go to the Sandy Hook families. The receiver appointed by the court supports the plan.
Jones has publicly disputed The Onion’s announcement and said he plans to fight the licensing proposal in court, though he acknowledged that he and his staff could be removed from the Infowars building if the judge approves the deal. Jones said he is preparing to continue broadcasting from a separate studio under The Alex Jones Show.
“I’m going to continue the exact same show," he said. "It’ll just be called the ‘Alex Jones Show.’ So, it’s the same satellite, same system. It's a different news site and news studio. So I’m not going anywhere.”
Why Does The Onion Want InfoWars?
Collins said The Onion’s interest in Infowars is rooted in both satire and accountability, describing the site as emblematic of the kind of online misinformation ecosystem that has flourished in recent years. He said The Onion plans to relaunch Infowars as a parody operation, hiring comedians and writers — including Tim Heidecker of the comedy duo Tim and Eric — to create satirical characters and scripted content that mock conspiracy‑driven media.
“We’ll build this into a bigger comedy network,” Collins said, adding that the project is designed to parody the format of personalities who promote false information, conspiracy theories and dangerous health claims. He said the goal is to reflect how audiences increasingly consume news through direct‑to‑camera figures who present themselves as authoritative despite lacking expertise.
Collins said The Onion has already hired staff to operate Infowars as a parody site, including comedian Tim Heidecker, one-half of the duo Tim and Eric, and a longtime contributor to Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim.”
Later Monday, Heidecker posted an Instagram reel, imitating Jones' deep, raspy voice at first, and said that "InfoWars.com will be launched in the coming months. We're not really sure what we're going to do with it. We're playing around with some different ideas. Heidecker added, "I'm very excited to take this on."
Jones founded Infowars in the late 1990s and built a large following by promoting conspiracy theories, including false claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged by “crisis actors.” Families of the victims and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting sued Jones and his company, saying they were subjected to years of harassment, threats and intimidation. Courts in Connecticut and Texas ultimately ruled against Jones, awarding the plaintiffs more than $1.4 billion in damages.
Jones, who is also involved in a public rift with President Donald Trump, filed for bankruptcy in late 2022. A previous effort to sell Infowars’ assets through a bankruptcy auction in 2024, which named The Onion as the winning bidder, was later thrown out by a judge, leading to the current receivership process in Texas.
Updates: 4/20/2026, 3:12 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 4/20/2026, 6:15 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 4/20/2026, 6:44 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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