Satirical news outlet, The Onion, has acquired Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction with support from families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
The families, owed over $1 billion from Jones in defamation judgments for calling the 2012 school shooting a hoax, announced the acquisition Thursday.
Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the shooting, expressed the families' relief, calling the sale a form of justice for the harm Jones' falsehoods inflicted. "The dissolution of Alex Jones' assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for," Parker stated through his lawyers.
Although the sale price was not immediately disclosed, the transfer marks a powerful turn against Jones, whose conspiracy theories devastated grieving families.
Newsweek has reached out to The Onion for comment via email.
Jones Reacts, Appears Shaken in Final Broadcast
Jones confirmed the acquisition by The Onion in a social media video Thursday, describing it as his "last broadcast" from Infowars' studios in Austin, Texas.
"Last broadcast now live from Infowars studios. They are in the building. Are ordering shutdown without court approval," he announced on X, formerly Twitter.
During the broadcast, he appeared visibly upset, at one point holding his head in his hands.
Jones also said he plans to fight the sale, though his legal path is uncertain given the bankruptcy proceedings.
Infowars' social media accounts, website, Austin studio, and video archives are all part of the acquisition, but The Onion has yet to reveal any specific plans for the platform.
Sandy Hook Families and Legal Battle
The families of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 shooting sued Jones for defamation, citing emotional distress from his relentless promotion of conspiracy theories claiming the massacre was staged by "crisis actors" to promote gun control.
They testified to the trauma caused not only by his remarks but by threats from his supporters. Jones' words led to defamation suits in Texas and Connecticut, resulting in staggering judgments that contributed to his financial downfall.
In the Connecticut lawsuit, lawyers for the families coordinated with The Onion to pursue a bid for Infowars, aiming to bring the controversial platform to a close permanently. The collaboration underscores the Sandy Hook families' yearslong efforts to hold Jones accountable.
Infowars' Future
The Onion has built its reputation on convincing readers to suspend disbelief with absurd satire, claiming to be "the world's leading news publication" with "4.3 trillion daily readers." It remains uncertain how, or if, The Onion will repurpose Infowars' content or if it will transition to an entirely different use.
Infowars' original supporters, meanwhile, had shown interest in acquiring the site to maintain Jones' message, but The Onion's bid prevailed.
For now, Jones has claimed he will continue his broadcasting on new platforms he has set up in anticipation of losing Infowars.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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