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The Onion to Take over InfoWars
- razorbeamz 6mo agoI hope Dan and Jordan can get the desk like they've always wanted.
- treebeard901 6mo agoI'm concerned they won't know what to do without Alex. Already going back over shows from 2006...
- troutwine 6mo agoThey’ve bounced around in time — and across InfoWars adjacent shows — for a good chunk of their run so far. I suspect they’ll be okay. Worst case the world suddenly becomes much kinder and gentler and there’s no new content being made in their wheelhouse, which seems like a win still. Also, Jones has already set up a new media company he totally doesn’t own, no sir. He’ll move his operation when he finally loses InfoWars.
- tardedmeme 6mo agoThe likeness of Alex Jones was an asset of Infowars - according to Alex Jones. So Alex Jones gave up his likeness to The Onion and doesn't own it himself any more. The Onion can still have Alex Jones on the show - played by an actor - and Alex Jones will have to play a character other than himself if he ever does another show.
- aworks 6mo agoThat's one of the most absurd things I've ever heard. I love it.
- glenstein 6mo agoThey've been pretty creative in setting their sights on the likes of Tucker Carlson and others. There truly is no one like Alex, and so I think there is a very real possibility that the show as we know it could fundamentally change if Alex stops producing content. But I think Dan and Jordan are interesting enough as personalities and bring really good analysis and there are plenty of other worthy targets. So I do think things would change in a significant way if they ever had to veer away from Alex Jones stuff, but I would believe in their ability to reinvent themselves and train their fire on new targets.
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- jbombadil 6mo agohttps://archive.is/yoLYM https://archive.is/yoLYM
- gnabgib 6mo agoDiscussion (627 points, 2 days ago, 320 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47837611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47837611
- mellosouls 6mo agoEditorialized title. It has a plan to take over that will need approval. Lots of non-paywalled coverage that would be better links, eg: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/20/the-onion-alex-jones-infowars https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/20/the-onion-al... See previous discussion linked in sibling as well.
- onetokeoverthe 6mo ago[dead]
- trothamel 6mo agoThis is a really good point, especially since a similar plan was attempted once before and failed.
- treebeard901 6mo agoTurning into an odd form of a take over. Basically renting it for 3 months to let Tim Heidecker do a few shows??
- phendrenad2 6mo agoA million dollars a year for... what? A gag that fans of infowars won't watch, and there aren't enough anti-fans to appreciate? It feels personal at this point.
- vor_ 6mo agoBecause it's funny that The Onion will be taking over InfoWars.
- MiscIdeaMaker99 6mo agoAnd I'm _still_ laughing. LOL
- watwut 6mo ago> It feels personal at this point. It is openly and proudly personal. It is also political, also openly.
- unconed 6mo ago[flagged]
- Pay08 6mo ago[flagged]
- Arodex 6mo agoSo, amongst all the things that happened and happening right now, you think "someone is incredibly petty against Alex Jones" is worth spending your time complaining about. Alex Jones, the one who harassed mass shooting survivors.
- pjc50 6mo agoAs opposed to the Alex Jones show, a Two Minute Hate for rightwingers? These people love to dish it out but can't take it when someone else uses their tactics against them.
- qwertytyyuu 6mo agoNo way, i can't believe it actually happened! I would have though alex would though alex and his goons would have managed to stop it
- kdheiwns 6mo agoNot sure if it even matters since Alex Jones is just going to keep doing what he's doing. Judgements demanding he pay billions keep coming out and he just says he's not paying, and nobody has forced him to either. Even if infowars' brand changes hands, that's the extent of it.
- qnleigh 6mo agoWhen this all started, the Onion released a priceless 'press statement': "Through it all, InfoWars has shown an unswerving commitment to manufacturing anger and radicalizing the most vulnerable members of society—values that resonate deeply with all of us at Global Tetrahedron. No price would be too high for such a cornucopia of malleable assets and minds. And yet, in a stroke of good fortune, a formidable special interest group has outwitted the hapless owner of InfoWars (a forgettable man with an already-forgotten name) and forced him to sell it at a steep bargain: less than one trillion dollars..." Full statement here https://theonion.com/heres-why-i-decided-to-buy-infowars/ https://theonion.com/heres-why-i-decided-to-buy-infowars/
- glimshe 6mo agohttps://babylonbee.com/news/alex-jones-worried-people-will-start-to-think-stories-reported-by-infowars-are-fake https://babylonbee.com/news/alex-jones-worried-people-will-s...
- win2k 6mo agoBabylon Bee forces you to accept cookies to use their site. Worth avoiding.
- LightBug1 6mo agoI shut that site down as soon as I saw that. Gross.
- Traster 6mo agoAs with all silly internet block BS, simply reload the site and hit escape before the cookie banner loads.
- vasco 6mo agoOr just inspect element + press delete. In some cases you also need to then delete an extra gray overlay and re-enable scroll on the base html tag, but takes 30s
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- mikeodds 6mo agoMaybe I’m out of touch, but doesn’t a $1.4b dollar settlement for this seem rather… large?
- kikokikokiko 6mo ago[flagged]
- BadBadJellyBean 6mo agoHe hurt innocent people with his voice without regrets. He wanted to die on that hill and if so he can be lucky that only his voice might die.
- kikokikokiko 6mo ago[flagged]
- LarsKrimi 6mo agoWhat would instead have been a reasonable punishment? Either he truly believed that the kids at Sandy Hook were actors, or he was using it as part of his grift and making money of it. As far as I can tell he has not reversed his stance on it
- tsimionescu 6mo agoHe had every possible chance to argue his case, both against culpability and then against the specific damages, but both he and the lawyers he hired refused to do so. This 1.4b dollars was not a particularly harsh judgment coming down from the establishment (note that the establishment is the president Jones was a paid campaign member for), it was the result of his implicit acceptance of every claim the Snady Hook parents made.
- hagbard_c 6mo ago[flagged]
- Lordtell123 6mo ago[dead]
- dirasieb 6mo agoi don’t understand how this is not a 1st amendment violation can someone explain the difference between what alex jones said about sandy hook and what other people say about 9/11 being an inside job, hologram planes, fake this fake that etc
- defrost 6mo agoFirst amendment prevents the federal government from preventing speech or punishing for speech (subject to a few exceptions). This was not that. This was a civil defamation case; the parents bought a case of actual material harm and harrassment of epic proportions before two seperate judges in two seperate states and both courts made the finding that Jones had indeed caused harm and harrassment .. and continued to do so over years.
- mech998877 6mo agoWith regards to defamation law, the first amendment does result in the USA having a higher bar for prosecution than most countries- GP still has a valid question.
- lateforwork 6mo agoThe word "prosecution" implies criminal case brought by the government. This was a civil case brought by the victims. If you mean higher bar for litigation, then maybe this lawsuit and its outcome shows that the bar isn't as high as you think when it comes to defamation?
- mech998877 6mo agoYes I did mean litigation (didn't know that that term was a distinction learned something today). To my understanding the case outcome is pretty much what I would expect, even considering the first amendment raising the bar. It's also interesting that there's been so many legal shenanigans in the case that it's hard to even keep track of them all.
- jazz9k 6mo ago[flagged]
- cindyllm 6mo ago[dead]
- ChrisRR 6mo agoWho are "they" and what have they blamed Jones for more than the murderer? Because I'm fairly sure no-one is claiming that Jones is a murderer or that the Sandy Hook killer was defaming people
- jazz9k 6mo ago[flagged]
- sophacles 6mo agoAlex Jones knowing lied about the parents. This destroyed their reputation. Alex Jones made a lot of money from his lies. The parents made no money from those lies. The parents' reputation was sold for dollars, and they got no dollars. That is theft. Alex Jones stole the reputations. He should pay for what he did. As for the rest of your nonsens: * the families are and have gone after the murder and the family. * defamation/slander is incredibly hard to prove. Jones' actions were so blatantly awful they met that high bar. Parroting talking points on bluesky does not even come close. * Perhaps, you should ask "if helping Trump win was all that's necessary for a giant settlement, why hasn't joe rogan been punished too?"
- IAmBroom 6mo agoMostly your reading comprehension.
- gafferongames 6mo agobrb. Turning my gold into piss
- gafferongames 6mo agoThe person who downvoted this clearly does not read the new InfoWars...
- Rover222 6mo agoNot the direct point of this thread, but this being a nytimes link... I still can't believe the way those reporters giggled their way through the Hasan Piker interview the other day. That is guy is poison, but since he align with their views, it's all just rosy and silly to promote killing people on the other side of the political spectrum.
- dml2135 6mo agoWhich Hasan Piker interview was this? The only one I saw was about shoplifting.
- Rover222 6mo agoThat one. They asked if the murder of the United CEO was justified because he committed "social murder". Piker is the left equivalent of Charlie Kirk - saying outrageous things for attention, but he has constantly called for violence, while Kirk never did.
- wredcoll 6mo agoDo you think charlie kirk would be proud of you for lying about what he said?
- Rover222 6mo ago[flagged]
- dml2135 6mo agoI don’t think most people would say that the United CEO was killed for his political views. He was killed for the actions he was taking at his job. Not saying that’s justified, just that there is a difference there.
- jotajota24 6mo agoI'm sorry but which Hassan Piker views align with the NYTimes? Why are people so obsessed about this guy??
- solfox 6mo agoIt seems strange to me that our laws allow someone to declare personal bankruptcy to avoid paying on liabilities, while somehow maintaining interests in other companies… resulting in that weird situation where another of his companies tries to buy the “bankrupt” company? (If you didn’t read the article, the only other bidder against the Onion was one of Alex’s own companies)
- SV_BubbleTime 6mo agoJones is a grifter, but I almost admire his brazen attempts here. If he is successful in any way, he is doing a service to point out the flaws in the systems.
- declan_roberts 6mo agoMaybe we should repeal the first amendment?
- websap 6mo agoOnce every infowars article and video is on the onion, they will instantly make sense. How long does it take to retrain foundational models and SEO to understand that those articles are absolutely trash?
- tnelsond4 6mo agoOrganizations love to run controlled opposition. Just came out that the Southern poverty law center has been funding the KKK of all things. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdal/pr/federal-grand-jury-charges-southern-poverty-law-center-wire-fraud-false-statements-and https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdal/pr/federal-grand-jury-char...
- saghm 6mo agoGiven some of the other claims that have come out of the "Justice" Department under this administration, I'd be curious whether there are any more reputable sources on the matter. They've already been making a habit of trying to target people Trump dislikes with flimsy prosecutions (e.g. Don Lemon for covering a protest at a church). Even beyond that, there's pretty clear evidence of the level of professional conduct of the department being pretty low, like their lawyers literally informing a judge that they lied about the basis of their arguments[0], cases getting dismissed because they were filed by someone who wasn't even a valid US Attorney[1] but who continued to claim to be one for another couple of months until a court order threatening her with contempt charges (by a Trump-appointed judge, for what it's worth)[2], and in one instance a lawyer literally requesting that a judge hold them in contempt because their job "sucks"[3]. [0]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-court-arrests-ice-justice-department/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-court-arrests-ice-j... [1]: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/24/halligan-dismissed-james-comey-cases-00667735 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/24/halligan-dismissed-... [2]: https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-orders-lindsey-halligan-to-stop-masquerading-as-us-attorney/ https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-orders-lindsey-halligan... [3]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/attorney-government-tells-judge-ice-case-job-sucks-rcna257349 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/attorney...
- rexpop 6mo agoIt has just been alleged.
- saltyoldman 6mo agoThere is very compelling evidence. Bank transfers.
- wnevets 6mo ago"@elonmusk please help" - Alex Jones
- oo0shiny 6mo agoFor anyone curious about the events that led to this decision, I made a timeline that shows how it happened: https://alexjoneslies.com/ https://alexjoneslies.com/
- brendanfinan 6mo agothe AI-generated imagery is a non-starter for me
- pseudosavant 6mo agoThat AI-generated imagery isn't bringing any less value to the conversation than comments like these where something is rejected for having a whiff of AI. Employing a graphic designer to create different decorative images is outside the scope/resources of that personal project if I had to guess.
- laweijfmvo 6mo agojust a heads up, this is pretty dark (as any mass shooting discussion would be, but particularly this one), and doesn’t include anything about the sale of infowars or the onion.
- bassrattle 6mo agoSo as he is quoted at the top "Something I talked about like 15 times, six, seven, eight years ago." This appears to be true when he said it, judging from the rest of the site's content. He offered consistent reasons for his (wrong) opinion. And when he said, "I mean, how do I get a fair trial with stuff like this?", pretty valid given the article he's referencing. Sorry, but I don't see defamation here. And the un-doctored video of the dad is ODD enough to say so on the radio. Don't take this as defending him (because I do believe he's wrong) but I find everything he said to be allowable in an open, free society. And sorry, I don't find the parents to be harmed to the tune of a $B. That all said, however, as a Tim Heidecker fan, I'm pretty happy at the outcome. Here I'll say what neither side will say: Alex is the frontman for the "cabal" (he admits his dad was in DARPA and Intelligence). His job is to say their deeds out loud (which is part of their belief system) in such a way that few people trust. I may be wrong, so sue me for a billion dollars why don't you.
- ElijahLynn 6mo agoArchive.is link is hanging, and NYT is paywall. This one seems to have some info: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/21/the-onions-infowars-licensing-deal-awaits-texas-judges-decision/89712158007/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/21/the-on... Tldr; it isn't a done deal "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," https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-onion-has-agreed-to-a-new-deal-to-take-over-infowars https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-onion-has-agreed-to-a-new-d... "The deal calls for The Onion to pay $81,000 a month to license the Infowars.com domain and brand name, which the receiver says will "cover carrying costs to preserve and protect the assets of the receivership estate" until an appeal filed by Jones is decided and the path is cleared for a sale."
- krish98sai 6mo agoNext Onion article: "InfoWars to Take over The Onion"
- tracker1 6mo agoI'm not seeing it mentioned, but wasn't there some form of ponzi scheme against Jones' debt passed through the winner of the suits as part of the onion taking control that didn't actually account for the full value, or potential value or something. I just recall seeing this story over a year ago... not sure at this point. and not having read the paywalled article.
- abernard1 6mo agoOne of the things I love about this is while Alex Jones was definitely negligent in his case, this pretty much does exactly what he wanted. One of the things I've discovered in my long career of people being wrong about everything is how strong the team sports dynamic of social politics really is. I was high school friends with a writer for the Daily Show and the thing I realized is how humor and dismissal was a way of creating social superiority and evasion of legitimate arguments. Right now, the world is changing greatly. Lots of people are retreating into a shell of humor in order to avoid it. Mass cognitive dissonance about the nature of reality. But reality and life goes on.
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- QuizzicalCarbon 6mo agoThis all feels so archaic. Does anyone actually care about either of these sites anymore?
- jjfiwjeilrj 6mo agoCorrect me if I'm wrong, but the judge's ruling that led to the current situation seems particularly dystopian. Infowars demonstrated value, and The Onion turning it into a parody would undermine that value, so whoever buys it has to continue delivering on the original value proposition (i.e. continue spewing racist paranoid propaganda) so creditors can get their expected value out of it? What the fuck is wrong with the USA?