A Texas judge will soon weigh in on if satirical site The Onion can take over Alex Jones’ far-right media company — Infowars.
This comes after Jones was sued for defamation by the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, with the families being awarded a $1.3 billion judgment against Jones, according to USA TODAY reporting. This also marks the second attempt The Onion is making to take over Infowars in hopes of turning it into a parody website.
Here’s what to know about the deal and how we got here.
Why does Alex Jones have to sell Infowars?
InfoWars founder Alex Jones speaks to the media outside Waterbury Superior Court during his trial on Sept. 21, 2022, in Waterbury, Connecticut.
In 2022, Jones was found guilty in a defamation lawsuit brought by the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, where six adults and 20 children were killed. He made repeated false claims that the massacre was a “hoax” staged as part of a government plot to confiscate guns from Americans.
The judge ordered Jones to pay a $1.3 billion judgment to the families as a result. In 2024, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruled that Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, was to be placed in the hands of a court-appointed receiver and that the company’s assets would be used to pay the judgment.
Why The Onion’s first bid for Infowars failed?
In December 2024, the satirical news site initially won the court-ordered auction for Infowars when it was first put up for sale.
However, a U.S. bankruptcy judge blocked the sale, stating that the bankruptcy auction did not result in the best possible bids.
However, a year later, a Texas judge ruled on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, that Infowars could again be put up for sale, paving the way for The Onion to make another bid.
What is The Onion’s new deal for Infowars?
The deal is not for The Onion to own Infowars, but rather to have a temporary license to the intellectual property of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems.
Papers filed in state court indicate that the deal entails The Onion paying $81,000 a month to license the Infowars.com domain and brand name, as reported by KOUW,
What’s next for The Onion, Infowars?
The deal proposal is set to be either approved or denied by Texas Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin.
Ben Collins, CEO of the Onion’s parent company Global Tetrahedron, told the Associated Press the deal could be in place around April 30.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him: mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Onion’s bid for Alex Jones’ Infowars awaits Texas judge’s decision
