The Onion’s purchase of Alex Jones’s Infowars rejected by judge
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A U.S. bankruptcy judge has rejected the sale of Alex Jones's Infowars to The Onion, citing flaws in the auction process amid ongoing legal battles over defamation claims from Sandy Hook victims.
A U.S. bankruptcy judge has rejected the sale of right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s Infowars website to parody news platform The Onion after a two-day hearing, ruling that the auction failed to secure the best possible bids.
Judge Christopher Lopez found that the auction process conducted by a court-appointed trustee was flawed and did not encourage sufficient bidding. Instead of immediately soliciting final offers, Lopez said the auction should have allowed for more back-and-forth between The Onion and a company linked to Jones’s supplement-selling businesses, which would have helped generate better bids. The Onion’s bid was backed by the families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who had successfully sued Jones for defamation over his spreading of false conspiracy theories about the massacre.
Despite the ruling, Jones celebrated the decision, calling the auction process “ridiculous” and “fraudulent,” while The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, expressed disappointment over the outcome and vowed to continue its efforts to purchase Infowars.
Jones, once a fringe broadcaster in Austin, Texas, built a massive audience in the 2000s by promoting a mix of opinion, speculation, and conspiracy theories. Infowars has been a key source of revenue for Jones, mainly through the sale of vitamins and other products on its online store. However, the company’s financial troubles began following Jones’s inflammatory remarks about the Sandy Hook shooting.
In December 2012, a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. In the years that followed, Jones repeatedly claimed that the massacre was a hoax and part of a government conspiracy. He even suggested that the parents of the victims were actors and that the entire event was staged. These remarks led to harassment campaigns by Jones’s followers, with some targeting the families of the victims with disturbing messages, pictures of gravestones, and even threats. Several individuals were arrested for their involvement in these harassing acts.
Jones later acknowledged that the shooting was real, but insisted that his false statements were protected by the First Amendment. Nonetheless, the families of the victims filed defamation lawsuits against him and Infowars, ultimately winning judgments that amounted to billions of dollars in damages. Jones was declared bankrupt in 2022 as the legal battles continued.
As the lawsuits unfolded, Jones’s personal financial situation worsened. In June 2024, a judge ordered the liquidation of his personal assets, including a multimillion-dollar ranch, several properties, boats, cars, and firearms, totaling around $8.6 million. The bankruptcy case and the resulting liquidation of Jones’s assets are part of the ongoing fallout from his repeated promotion of false narratives surrounding the Sandy Hook tragedy.
At the time of the bankruptcy filing, Jones had built up a sizable online presence, with his Infowars website and associated media outlets contributing to his wealth. However, the defamation lawsuits, coupled with mounting legal and financial troubles, have left him facing the loss of much of his fortune. Jones’s attempts to sell Infowars to The Onion are seen as part of his efforts to recoup some of his financial losses while managing the ongoing lawsuits and judgments against him.
Despite the setbacks in the bankruptcy court, Jones’s fight for control of Infowars and his attempt to sell it to The Onion represent the ongoing complexities of his legal battles. The families of the Sandy Hook victims, who won the defamation lawsuit against Jones, continue to seek justice for the harm caused by his false statements. Meanwhile, the case underscores the broader consequences of spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories in the digital age.
In sum, Jones’s bankruptcy case and the attempted sale of Infowars to The Onion illustrate both the legal and financial repercussions of his controversial actions. The case is also a reminder of the power of social media and online platforms in shaping public discourse and the importance of holding individuals accountable for the harm caused by false and harmful narratives.
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