The ever-satirical, fact-bending website The Onion has officially picked up Alex Jones’ bankrupt Infowars – and with plans to reimagine it in a way only The Onion can: as a pure parody factory for all things “internet weirdos.”
And they’re starting from scratch.
Yes, as of Thursday, November 14, The Onion took ownership of the Infowars brand. Alex Jones, who had a little something to do with Infowars’ bankruptcy after being hit with a series of defamation lawsuits by the families of Sandy Hook victims, is now out of the game. The Onion is stepping in with fresh, fun plans to relaunch the site in early 2025, with a twist so deep, even Jones himself might say it’s “next level.”
So what’s this new version of Infowars going to look like?
Variety reports that Infowars 2.0 will be back in January – not as a platform for shouting “globalist” theories from the rooftops, but as a loving, satirical jester’s court for “all your favorite internet personalities” – we’re talking top-tier levels of meme madness here.
Even the Sandy Hook families, who originally sued Alex, are allegedly on board with the sale, having taken a cut from what they were owed to help fuel the success of the satire renaissance that awaits.
What else is in store?
Well, here’s the real kicker – Infowars 2.0 has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety as its first advertiser. In an irony sweet enough to chew on, the organization (which seeks to end gun violence) has agreed to run ads on the new Infowars, giving it a totally revamped purpose. Picture it now: instead of buying emergency food buckets for the apocalypse, visitors might just click on ads promoting common-sense gun laws.
The CEO of Global Tetrahedron, The Onion’s parent company, Ben Collins, took to Bluesky to comment on the acquisition, admitting they were mostly encouraged by others who told them, “It would be funny to buy Infowars.” Collins added, “And those people were right. This is the funniest thing that has ever happened.” So if anyone’s wondering how the deal went down, it was basically a group chat that got out of control.
As for the purchase price? That remains a mystery, though we’re guessing The Onion probably didn’t empty the vaults for it. One thing’s for sure: Jones’ notorious $1 billion penalty to the Sandy Hook families in 2022 definitely got the ball rolling for this reimagined Infowars, which will soon be back with a sense of humor so biting, it’s practically unhinged.
Also, part of the reason we did bought InfoWars is because people on Bluesky told us it would be funny to buy InfoWars. And those people were right. This is the funniest thing that has ever happened.
— Tim Onion (@bencollins.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 9:35 AM