The Onion’s Infowars Takeover Plan Hits Legal Roadblock

Plans for satirical news outlet The Onion to transform conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars platforms into parody sites have been placed on hold following a Texas appeals court ruling that temporarily blocked the transfer of any Infowars assets.

The proposed licensing deal would have given The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars’ trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property while a state-appointed receiver works toward liquidation of the company. Austin-based Infowars faces liquidation due to more than $1 billion in defamation lawsuit judgments owed to families of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

A state judge in Austin had scheduled a hearing Thursday to consider approving the arrangement between The Onion and the receiver. However, the proceeding was downgraded to a status conference after the Texas Third Court of Appeals approved an emergency motion by Jones’ lawyers on Wednesday. The judge rescheduled the hearing for May 28.

Lawyers representing the Sandy Hook families had asked the Texas Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling, but the high court did not issue a decision before Thursday’s hearing.

“This newly insane, unprecedented legal stalling does nothing but delay our deal with the receiver to take control of InfoWars,” Ben Collins, The Onion’s CEO, wrote on social media before the hearing. “We now expect new traps in Alex Jones’ amoral war to deny paying the Sandy Hook families, but we’re freshly surprised by the U.S. legal system’s appetite to put up with it.”

After Thursday’s hearing, attorney Mark Bankston, who represents some of the Sandy Hook victims’ families, accused Jones of repeatedly obstructing the liquidation process through court filings.

“As far as the world is concerned, Infowars is dead. Everybody knows that,” Bankston said. “He’s trying to keep the bloated corpse of a media organization alive. It’s all a joke. Everybody knows where this is going.”

Jones celebrated the appeals court ruling in videos posted to his social media accounts, claiming victory and calling The Onion’s plan illegal. “I said days ago there’s no way the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas doesn’t overturn this — you know they’re all Democrats — because it’s so outrageous what you’ve done,” Jones said.

This represents the second legal setback for The Onion’s attempts to acquire Infowars assets. In November 2024, the Chicago-based satirical outlet was named the winner of a bankruptcy court auction of the assets of Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company. However, a federal judge later overturned those auction results, citing procedural problems with The Onion’s bid.

The Onion has already begun selling Infowars merchandise on its website, including T-shirts and tote bags featuring an Infowars logo with the “o” replaced by The Onion’s trademark onion image. According to the proposed plan, The Onion would transform Infowars platforms into comedy sites that would parody Jones, conspiracy theories, and right-wing talking points, with revenue going to the Sandy Hook victims’ families.

Despite the ongoing legal battles over Infowars’ assets, Jones has been preparing alternatives. He announced this week that he has a new studio nearing completion and has already established a new phone app and websites, including one that sells dietary supplements, clothing, and other merchandise he promotes on his shows. His personal X account, where he posts videos of his shows to 4.5 million followers, remains unaffected by the court cases.

On Thursday night, Jones livestreamed from his studio, toasting his crew and viewers as a clock counted down to what he described as his final moments in the building. “We’re not here anymore because they’re turning the power off at midnight,” he said.

The ongoing legal saga highlights the complex aftermath of Jones’ defamation cases, where he was found liable for repeatedly calling the Sandy Hook school shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults, a hoax. The unprecedented judgments against him have set the stage for this unusual situation where a satirical media company seeks to repurpose a notorious conspiracy platform.