Popular satire website takes over controversial media empire in surprise auction
The Onion won bankruptcy auction for Alex Jones media company after his $1.5 billion Sandy Hook defamation case. Sandy Hook families backed the sale to transform controversial platform
In an un-expected twist‚ satirical news outlet The Onion acquired Alex Jones bankrupt Infowars platform through auction on nov-14. The company aims to re-launch the site with its own brand of less-harmful content by early-25
The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars‚ and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the sites users with lies until they fork over their cold hard cash
The sale (which needs court approval) comes after Jones lost major legal battles; his company went broke due to $1‚5 billion in Sandy Hook defamation payments. Judge Christopher Lopez noted some worries about auction clarity: “I personally dont care who wins the auction; I just care about the process“
Founded back in 99‚ Infowars became known for spreading un-true claims including stories about:
- Sept 11 attacks being staged
- Sandy Hook shooting being fake
- Health supplements with false marketing
The Sandy Hook victims families backed The Onions bid over competing offer from First United American Companies — a Jones-linked group that bid $3‚5 million. Robbie Parker whose daughter died at Sandy Hook said: “The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability“
While Jones keeps posting on X (where he returned after Elon Musk let him back) most big tech platforms blocked him about 5 years ago. The court ruled he still must pay most judgments even after this sale happens
