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A Texas judge will soon consider whether satirical site The Onion can buy Alex Jones’ far-right media company Infowars.
This comes after Jones was sued for defamation by the family of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the family was awarded a $1.3 billion judgment against Jones, USA TODAY reported. This is also The Onion’s second attempt to acquire Infowars with the aim of turning it into a parody website.
Here’s what you need to know about this deal and how it got here.
Why should Alex Jones sell Infowars?
In 2022, Jones was convicted in a defamation lawsuit brought by the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which killed six adults and 20 children. He repeatedly falsely claimed that the massacre was a “hoax” staged as part of a government conspiracy to confiscate guns from Americans.
As a result, the judge ordered Jones to pay a $1.3 billion judgment to the family. In 2024, a U.S. bankruptcy court placed Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, in the hands of a court-appointed receiver and ruled that the company’s assets would be used to pay the judgment.
Why did The Onion’s first bid for Infowars fail?
When the satirical news site first went up for sale in December 2024, it was the first to be sold at a court-ordered Infowars auction.
However, a U.S. bankruptcy judge blocked the sale, saying the bankruptcy auction did not yield the best bid.
But a year later, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, a Texas judge ruled that Infowars could be put up for sale again, clearing the way for The Onion to make another bid.
What is the new deal between The Onion and Intowars?
The deal does not mean The Onion owns Infowars, but instead receives a temporary license to the intellectual property of Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company.
KOUW reported that documents filed in state court show that the deal requires The Onion to pay $81,000 a month to license the Infowars.com domain and brand name.
What’s next for The Onion, Infowars?
The proposed deal is expected to be approved or rejected by Texas Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin.
Ben Collins, CEO of Onion’s parent company Global Tetrahedron, told The Associated Press that the deal could close around April 30.
Mateo Rosiles is a Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and local Texas newspapers. Do you have any news tips for him? Email him: mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
