The Onion, the satirical news company that repeatedly spoofs conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, wins bankruptcy auction Control over his media empire—most notably Infowars, a far-right, conspiracy-theory-laden website that serves as Jones’ primary online platform.
jones Sale announced on X Thursday morning.
“I just got word 15 minutes ago that my attorney and my family met with the U.S. Trustee this morning regarding our bankruptcy and they said they were going to shut us down even without a court order this morning,” Jones said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m going to stay here until they come and turn off the lights,” he added.
The Onion plans to shut down Jones’ Infowars and rebuild the site, which features well-known online humorists and content creators, according to a person familiar with the matter. About an hour and a half after the sale was announced, Infowars’ website was taken down.
Jones, 50, is one of the best-known and most financially successful alternative media figures, having built a small empire centered on his Infowars brand, which focuses on major conspiracies, by turning his radio show into an online video business. and false and often bizarre claims of wrongdoing by governments.
Details of Wednesday’s auction, including the bid for Infowars parent company Free Speech Systems and related assets, were not immediately clear. Proceeds from the sale are intended to satisfy claims from creditors of Jones’ estate, most of whom are families of the victims 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting To whom he must pay damages in a defamation judgment.
Family members of Sandy Hook have filed lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas, claiming Jones defamed them on his show and caused emotional distress by repeatedly alluding to the shooting. Killed 20 first-grade children and 6 adultsis a scam.
A jury found Jones guilty of defamation and awarded the families nearly $1.5 billion in damages in the lawsuit, but they were unable to recover anything from Jones, who claimed he could not afford such a large sum. he File for bankruptcy At the end of 2022, June Judge Allow him to liquidate his personal assets Help pay off the judgment.
The sale is supported by several families involved in lawsuits over the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut.
“Our clients know that true accountability means the end of the information war and the end of Jones’ ability to spread lies, pain and fear at scale,” Connecticut family attorney Chris Mattei said in a statement. “By divesting Infowars of Jones’ assets, The Onion family and team have performed a public service and will meaningfully hinder Jones’ ability to do more harm.”
Anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety said it will be the exclusive advertiser for The Onion’s new venture as part of a multi-year deal.
John Feinblatt, the group’s president, said in a statement that he hopes to “engage new audiences and prepare them to hold the gun industry accountable for our country’s epidemic of gun violence.”
Since April, The Onion has been led by CEO Ben Collins, who previously covered disinformation and conspiracy theories for NBC News, which often meant covering Jones. Collins has launched several changes aimed at monetizing the business, including subscriptions, organizing live events and bringing back physical copies of the newspaper and its TV parody, The Onion News Network.
In June, Collins fielded calls from online followers asking The Onion to buy Infowars a meme “Under investigation.”
People interested in acquiring Jones Media Corp. have submitted final offers to federal court-appointed trustee Christopher Murray, who will be tasked with selecting the best bid, but not necessarily the highest bid.
The identities of potential buyers are confidential as they must agree to a confidentiality agreement in order to receive bid materials.
The auction company handling the sale said there were “no restrictions on the use of any acquired property in the bankruptcy order” and the winner could choose whether to continue Infowars’ operations.
On this week’s show, while imploring listeners to buy subscriptions and the nutritional supplements he sells, Jones painted a picture of his potential buyers, describing a group of anonymous bidders as friendly supporters who will make his show work. Others, he said, were “bad guys” who would shut down Infowars.
While he said he would continue broadcasting through alternative channels if a new buyer ordered the closure, Jones noted he would be hampered by the loss of the brand, website and equipment, among other necessities.
“To all those on the left celebrating the end of Alex Jones and Infowars, you are fools,” he said. “Just watch.”
According to reports, the content up for grabs at the auction includes Infowars production rights and materials, Infowars stores, domain names, production equipment and other assets (including a Terradyne armored truck and a Winnebago RV), which can be purchased in whole or in part. . Jones broadcasts from the Austin, Texas area.
This auction is Murray’sorderly closing processThe U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas is overseeing the latest phase of Jones’ case, which stems from the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
The Onion’s press release announcing the sale was written by the CEO of Global Tetrahedron, a fictional evil corporation created by Onion employees, befitting the format of the satirical site. Former tech executive Jeff Lawson named his real company Global Tetrahedron, which acquired The Onion from G/O Media in April.
“Throughout, InfoWars has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to generating outrage and radicalizing society’s most vulnerable members, values that resonate deeply with everyone at Global Tetrahedron,” the press release said.
Jones founded Infowars in 1999, a division of Free Speech Systems.
Families in Texas and Connecticut have Arguing in court During the liquidation process, there were concerns about how the funds would be distributed. Still, they said Jones’ loss of the company has given him some responsibility for his past comments.
During his 2022 Texas trial, Jones generally accused the “corporate media” of distorting his statements and mischaracterizing him, but did not specify how.
While Jones also testified that he believed Sandy Hook was “100 percent true,” he used the ongoing litigation to motivate the audience as he faced losses from Infowars.
