Home / Arts and Entertainment / Satire Site Buys Infowars, Plans Comedy Reboot
Satire Site Buys Infowars, Plans Comedy Reboot
20 Apr
Summary
- Infowars licensed to The Onion's parent company for $81,000 monthly.
- The deal aims to degrade Alex Jones's ability to cause harm at scale.
- Infowars will be rebranded as a platform for independent and experimental comedy.
The website Infowars, founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, is set to be licensed by The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron. A court filing on Monday requested approval for Global Tetrahedron to pay $81,000 monthly for an initial six-month license of Infowars.com and its intellectual property. This follows a failed acquisition attempt two years prior, when a bankruptcy court scuttled the sale.
The proposed deal, agreed upon by The Onion and the court-appointed administrator, aims to transform the site into a comedy platform. Tim Heidecker has been appointed creative director, intending to initially parody Alex Jones's tactics before developing it into a space for experimental comedy. This rebranding seeks to redirect a "toxic, negative, destructive force" into a creative outlet.
The legal battles stemming from defamation lawsuits by Sandy Hook Elementary School victims' families led to Alex Jones declaring bankruptcy. The licensing agreement, while not fully satisfying the damages awarded, is expected to significantly diminish Jones's capacity to spread harmful information at scale. The Onion also plans to sell merchandise, sharing proceeds with the families.
The final approval rests with Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, with a ruling anticipated within two weeks. Until then, Alex Jones continues to operate Infowars.com and its daily program. The Sandy Hook families' legal representative stated the deal promises to degrade Jones's power to cause harm.
