The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars with backing from Sandy Hook families
The entity behind the satirical news site the Onion, along with families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, are on tap to purchase right-wing provocateur Alex Jones’ Infowars website.
A joint bid by Global Tetrahedron LLC and some of the families was chosen as the successful bid for the Infowars intellectual property, according to a court filing Thursday. A price wasn’t disclosed.
A liquidator has been tasked with liquidating Jones’ estate in bankruptcy to help him pay down approximately $1.5 billion in defamation judgments related to statements he made calling the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting a hoax.
“The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash,” the Onion’s CEO Ben Collins said in a news release. “Or Bitcoin. We will also accept Bitcoin.”
Advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety will be the exclusive advertiser for the launch of the website. Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates gun-safety measures, is backed by Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg Law is operated by entities controlled by Michael Bloomberg.
The group will also work with the Onion and has signed a multiyear advertising agreement for when the website relaunches, according to a news release.
Jones, broadcasting on his website Thursday morning, confirmed that the Onion was the purchaser and said there was an ongoing attempt to shut down his show.
Jones said there were plans to file an emergency injunction with the bankruptcy court to try to stop his media platform from being shut down.
“I want to see the documents, I want to see the court order,” Jones said on air Thursday.
The trustee overseeing Jones’ bankruptcy proceeding has designated as a backup bidder First United American Companies LLC, a business associated with ShopAlexJones.com website.
The assets up for sale included production rights and materials, more than 400 domain names, social media accounts, podcast sites, newsletter subscribers, archival library, the e-commerce nutritional supplement business, product trademarks and production equipment.
The Onion said it plans to start its transition of the website immediately and plans to launch the new platform in January .
Chris Mattei, an attorney for the eight Connecticut plaintiffs and partner at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, praised the purchase in a statement Thursday.
“By divesting Jones of Infowars’ assets, the families and the team at the Onion have done a public service and will meaningfully hinder Jones’ ability to do more harm,” Mattei said.
“We were told this outcome would be nearly impossible, but we are no strangers to impossible fights. The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability – the dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, said in a news release.