Comedy news website The Onion has submitted a fresh proposal to temporarily control the digital platforms belonging to conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones while his media company undergoes liquidation proceedings stemming from massive defamation awards exceeding $1 billion to Sandy Hook shooting victims’ families.
According to a Monday filing with a Texas state judge, The Onion seeks an exclusive temporary license to operate the intellectual property of Free Speech Systems, Jones’ parent company. This arrangement would allow the satirical publication to publish its own material across Infowars’ website and social media channels.
The Onion’s CEO Ben Collins indicated the arrangement could take effect by April 30 if Austin Judge Maya Guerra Gamble gives approval. Collins revealed his company has already brought on staff to transform Infowars into a comedy platform, including comedian Tim Heidecker from the Tim and Eric comedy partnership known for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming.
“We’ll build this into a bigger comedy network,” Collins explained during a Monday phone conversation, noting that Sandy Hook families would benefit financially from the new venture’s earnings.
“A big part of it for us is that the way people consume news now is they see somebody who has no idea what the (expletive) they’re talking about staring into their camera and just like coming up with conspiracy theories or telling you health hacks that will actually get you poisoned, things like that,” he said. “We’re going to create a bunch of characters and worlds around those kinds of things.”
Following the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre that claimed the lives of 20 young students and six staff members in Newtown, Connecticut, Jones falsely characterized the tragedy as a fabricated event involving paid actors designed to promote stricter gun regulations. Numerous family members of victims, plus an FBI investigator who worked the scene, filed lawsuits against Jones and his business for defamation and causing emotional harm.
During his Monday broadcast, Jones promised to challenge the licensing arrangement in court while recognizing he and his team might be forced from their current facility by month’s end. He indicated plans to continue broadcasting from an alternative studio he’s establishing, with shows streaming on his personal X profile and other emerging social platforms and websites, plus dozens of radio outlets. He’s also established separate websites for his product sales, including nutritional supplements and apparel that generate millions annually.
“I’m going to continue the exact same show,” he said. “It’ll just be called the ‘Alex Jones Show.’ So, it’s the same satellite, same system. It’s a different news site and news studio. So I’m not going anywhere.”
The proposed Onion licensing agreement would span six months with renewal options for an additional six-month period while a court-designated receiver works toward eventually selling Free Speech Systems’ assets and distributing proceeds to Sandy Hook families. The receiver backs this proposal, which requires The Onion to contribute $81,000 monthly for building rent housing Infowars’ studios, plus utilities and additional expenses.
During 2022 defamation trial proceedings in Connecticut, victims’ family members described how individuals they identified as Jones supporters targeted them with death and sexual assault threats, face-to-face intimidation, and hostile social media messages related to the false claims. Jones maintained no evidence connected him to others’ actions.
A Connecticut jury and judge granted the families and FBI agent damages exceeding $1.4 billion. In separate Texas litigation, parents of a Sandy Hook victim received nearly $50 million. Jones challenged both verdicts. His Connecticut appeal failed, while his Texas appeal remains active.
Jones declared bankruptcy in late 2022. During those proceedings, a November 2024 auction aimed at liquidating Infowars’ assets to satisfy defamation judgments resulted in The Onion being declared the successful bidder. However, the bankruptcy judge invalidated the auction outcome, pointing to procedural issues and problems with The Onion’s offer.
Efforts to liquidate Infowars’ assets subsequently transferred to Texas state court, where Guerra Gamble designated a receiver to handle Jones’ company’s asset liquidation. Jones is also challenging that decision, which has temporarily halted the liquidation process.
Legal representation for the Sandy Hook families involved in the Connecticut lawsuit confirmed their backing of The Onion’s proposal.
