Key facts
- The Onion has launched a parody of Alex Jones' Infowars platform.
- An initial $100,000 will be donated to Sandy Hook families from merchandise sales.
- Alex Jones owes over $1 billion to Sandy Hook families for defamation.
- The parody aims to satirize Jones' conspiracy theories and business practices.
- The Onion is seeking to gain control of Infowars' former assets and studio.
The satirical news site The Onion has launched a parody of Alex Jones' Infowars platform, more than a year after attempting to acquire the conspiracy site. The Onion will debut its send-up on its own website, with plans to donate an initial $100,000 from merchandise sales to the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. These families have yet to receive any funds from Jones since he was ordered to pay over $1 billion in defamation judgments for falsely claiming the 2012 shooting was a hoax.
The parody content will mimic Infowars' style, featuring shows and merchandise that combine the conspiracy empire's branding with The Onion's satirical approach. CEO Ben Collins stated the initiative aims to use the platform for social good and to ensure Jones cannot profit further from his false claims. The Onion is also pursuing control of Infowars' former studio in Austin, Texas.
Jones' claims about the Sandy Hook shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults, led to harassment and death threats against the victims' families. Despite his bankruptcy and the breakup of Infowars, Jones has continued to operate on a different website, evading payment of the judgments so far. Attorneys for the families expressed optimism that The Onion's efforts will redirect any future profits from the Infowars brand to them.