The satirical news site The Onion is making good on its controversial acquisition of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars platform by launching a parody version Thursday that will direct immediate revenue to families devastated by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The move marks the first tangible benefit to the victims’ families from The Onion’s effort to reclaim the platform Jones used to spread damaging misinformation.
The Onion will immediately send $100,000 from merchandise sales to the Sandy Hook families, according to CEO Ben Collins. The merchandise features designs that combine Infowars branding with The Onion’s logo rendered in rainbow colors. Collins said the company plans to direct a significant share of all merchandise sales to the families in perpetuity. More than a year ago, The Onion first attempted to purchase Infowars assets at a bankruptcy auction, but a federal judge blocked that initial sale citing concerns about the auction process. Since then, the bankruptcy court clarified that Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, is not itself in bankruptcy, allowing a Texas state receiver to oversee the sale instead. This legal development cleared the way for a new pending deal to lease Infowars to The Onion, with hopes that a future permanent sale could be approved.
Collins acknowledged the unusual circumstances that led to The Onion’s involvement. “Don’t give comedy writers a grudge for 18 months,” he said, alluding to the extended legal battle before The Onion could finally move forward with its parody plans. Collins initially saw Infowars’ assets were going to be sold at auction and stepped in with a bold plan that resonated with the families.
The Sandy Hook families have waited years for any recovery. Courts ordered Jones to pay more than $1 billion for falsely calling the 2012 shooting a hoax, yet the families have still received no money from him. One attorney for the families noted the dire circumstances Jones faces, saying “All he’s been left with is an iPhone and a fancy microphone.” Jones has since moved his show to a different website and declined interview requests.
The families’ decision to back The Onion’s plan came after initial skepticism. Collins spoke with them directly about the vision, and they eventually saw how The Onion’s staff could use Infowars’ distinctive style and branding to take the moral high ground while mocking the conspiracy ecosystem that caused them so much pain. Attorney Chris Mattei, representing nine of the Sandy Hook families, expressed the families’ evolved perspective: “The idea that it could be turned to some social good. I think it’s even better.”
The new parody Infowars will maintain The Onion’s signature sharp satire sprinkled with shock value. Collins revealed some of the content being developed, including a fake section selling a penis flattening device and a bogus “pro oxygen” supplement pill that the host claims can replace breathing, along with an extended debate about how many Bozo the Clowns exist. He described the approach as channeling “old-fashioned Infowars — using the tricks that they use to get people addicted to outrage and, I would say, addicted to anticipation, trying to find the thing that’s around the corner that’s going to save your life.”
The parody will include a series of shows and other content under the Infowars branding that satirize Jones’ aggressive mashup of conspiracies linking major news events, dubious scientific claims, attacks on people suffering in tragedies, and sales of supplements and survival gear. The site will operate under The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron LLC, but maintain editorial independence and will exist initially on TheOnion.info, The Onion’s YouTube channel, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky.
The families initially wanted Infowars shut down entirely and Jones never heard from again, but they have come to embrace The Onion’s vision for transforming the platform. Collins indicated The Onion will continue pursuing control of the Austin, Texas studio that Infowars once used. Robbie Parker, whose daughter died in the Sandy Hook shooting, plans to visit the studio one day to read his book about fighting Jones in the very place where the conspiracy theorist once broadcast his false claims.
An attorney for the families emphasized their commitment to ensuring Jones cannot profit: “Every dime Alex Jones makes from here until the end of eternity is going to be claimed by the families.” The Onion’s parody represents a symbolic victory in that effort, transforming the machinery of lies into a platform for satire that aims to expose the dangerous misinformation ecosystem that allowed Jones to thrive.