In an unexpected turn of events, satirical news outlet The Onion has teamed up with the U.S. gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety to buy InfoWars, the controversial website founded by right-wing commentator Alex Jones. Jones had to sell his company to pay off the huge legal debts he owes to the families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting. In fact, several families who won a lawsuit against Jones also pitched in to help fund the purchase.
This all started in 2022 when a Connecticut judge ordered Jones to pay a staggering $1.5 billion to the families who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook massacre. Why? Because Jones falsely claimed that the shooting was a hoax staged by the U.S. government to push for stricter gun laws. These outrageous conspiracy theories caused the families emotional distress, and they took legal action. In the end, the families won their case, and the court decided that part of the way to pay back the debt was to shut down InfoWars.
Despite trying to escape his debts through bankruptcy, Jones wasn’t allowed to get away with it. So, he was forced to auction off InfoWars, and the winning bid came from a surprising source: The Onion. The satirical news site, known for its fake headlines and humorous take on current events, made the winning offer, although the exact amount paid has not been disclosed. But reports say the bidding reached “seven figures,” meaning it was over $1 million!
In an official statement, The Onion’s CEO, Ben Collins, proudly announced that they were taking over InfoWars. “We look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash… or Bitcoin,” Collins joked, reflecting the site’s satirical roots.
What’s even more interesting is that Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization focused on reducing gun violence, helped boost the value of The Onion’s bid. They did this by offering to forgo a portion of the money they were owed from the lawsuit. In return, Everytown got an exclusive advertising deal with the new version of InfoWars, giving them a platform to push their message for gun control.
So what exactly did The Onion buy? The deal includes not just the website and social media accounts but also all of InfoWars’ intellectual property, its customer lists, and the production equipment. This means The Onion now owns everything from the website content to the behind-the-scenes tools that helped create it.
As for Jones, he’s vowed to keep going. He started InfoWars in 1999, and by 2017, the site was attracting millions of visitors every month. Despite the legal troubles and the loss of his platform, Jones says he plans to come back with a new brand, continuing to broadcast his controversial ideas. Whether or not that will work is still up in the air.
Meanwhile, The Onion, which started as a humorous, fake news source, has seen its own share of changes over the years. It was bought by Univision in 2016, then sold again, and eventually purchased by Jeff Lawson, a tech entrepreneur, in April. Under his leadership, The Onion is aiming to reach new heights by incorporating social media experts and building a team of professionals who understand how to engage with today’s online audience.
So, what happens next for InfoWars and its controversial history? It seems the satirical voice of The Onion might take the reins, but how they will handle this highly charged, real-world issue will surely make for some interesting headlines in the future.
