Without waiting to formally take over Infowars, the satirical publication The Onion is moving ahead with its own spoof of Alex Jones’ conspiracy-driven media platform — and it’s putting money directly in the hands of Sandy Hook families to do it.
After more than a year of legal efforts to purchase Infowars, The Onion is set to launch a parody version on its own website this Thursday. A portion of the revenue will go toward families of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.
Those families have yet to see a single dollar from Jones, even though courts have ordered him to pay more than $1 billion after he repeatedly and falsely claimed the shooting — which killed 20 first graders and six adults — was staged.
The Onion’s CEO Ben Collins said the company will kick things off by sending the families $100,000 raised through merchandise sales. The products blend Infowars branding with The Onion’s own logo, rendered in rainbow colors. Collins’ company is still fighting in court to gain full control of Infowars.
“Don’t give comedy writers a grudge for 18 months,” Collins said.
The parody is set to include a lineup of shows and other content produced under the Infowars name, mocking Jones’ signature style — a chaotic mix of conspiracy theories, questionable health claims, attacks on tragedy victims, and aggressive marketing of supplements and survival products.
Jones’ followers, fueled by his false claims that Sandy Hook families were “crisis actors,” went on to harass those families and even issue death threats against them.
At its height, Jones’ Infowars drew 10 million visitors per month and brought in more than $50 million in yearly revenue, according to the company. But defamation judgments totaling $1.4 billion — handed down in both Connecticut and Texas, where Jones is based — pushed him into bankruptcy and effectively dismantled his media operation.
“All he’s been left with is an iPhone and a fancy microphone,” said Chris Mattei, an attorney representing nine of the Sandy Hook families.
Jones has since relocated his show to a different website. A request for comment sent to his team went unanswered.
The families acknowledged they could never fully silence Jones or stop him from spreading his message. But Mattei said they could make sure he never profits from it again.
“Every dime Alex Jones makes from here until the end of eternity is going to be claimed by the families,” Mattei said.
Collins said he decided to get involved after spotting that Infowars’ assets were headed to auction. He reached out to the Sandy Hook families, who were initially skeptical. But they quickly came around when they understood how The Onion’s team could use Jones’ own style and branding against him — reclaiming the platform to mock those who caused them so much suffering and, in their view, did lasting damage to society.
Collins held back details about the new content ahead of Thursday’s launch, but offered a few hints. The parody site will feature a section selling a fictional penis-flattening device, a fake supplement pill called “pro oxygen” that a host claims can replace breathing, and a lengthy debate over how many Bozo the Clowns exist.
“It’s 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,” Collins said.
The Onion is continuing its legal push to seize more of Jones’ assets. Collins said he expects the company to soon gain control of the Austin, Texas, studio that Infowars once operated out of. One Sandy Hook parent, Robbie Parker, whose daughter was killed in the shooting, has expressed plans to read from his book about grieving and fighting Jones — while sitting in the very spot where Jones once broadcast.
While the families originally hoped to see Infowars shut down for good and Jones permanently silenced, they have since warmed to the idea of what The Onion has in store, according to attorney Mattei.
“The idea that it could be turned to some social good. I think it’s even better,” Mattei said. “So, yeah, I think the families are both pleased and amused with what they’ve been able to achieve here.”
