The Onion sets July 2 launch for its InfoWars reboot
The satire publisher plans to relaunch InfoWars as a comedy project while the Alex Jones-linked brand remains tied up in court.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
The Onion will launch its version of InfoWars on July 2, turning the conspiracy outlet once run by Alex Jones into a comedy and media project. The launch matters because the brand is still tied to the bankruptcy fallout from defamation judgments won by Sandy Hook families.
The Verge reported that the reboot will debut at 8 p.m. ET on theonion.info and on The Onion’s social media accounts. The project is being led creatively by comedian Tim Heidecker, according to The Verge.
The Onion said in a press release cited by The Verge that the new InfoWars was developed with backing from Sandy Hook families. The company described the relaunch as a platform for comedy, media programming, guests and new performers.
Court fight still hangs over the brand
The Verge reported that The Onion’s effort to take over InfoWars began more than a year and a half ago and remains entangled in court proceedings. Under the current proposed arrangement, The Onion would license the InfoWars name from the court-appointed manager overseeing the property, according to The New York Times account cited by The Verge.
Heidecker told Wired that the site is “in limbo,” but said The Onion is proceeding with the rollout, The Verge reported. The planned launch puts the comedy project ahead of a fully settled ownership picture for the former Jones outlet.
Jones was ordered in 2022 to pay $1.5 billion to families of Sandy Hook shooting victims after losing a defamation case, according to The Verge. The case stemmed from his repeated false claims over the years that the school shooting was a hoax, The Verge reported.
Donation tied to merchandise sales
The company said the relaunch is being paired with a $100,000 payment to Sandy Hook families, The Verge reported. The money was raised through merchandise sales connected to the InfoWars project, and The Onion said it expects the payment to be the first of more, according to the report.
A press release cited by The Verge said the donation would be the first money the families receive directly from the sale process around InfoWars. The Verge did not report additional timing for later payments.
The Onion has already previewed the reboot through social media clips, according to The Verge. One clip brings back Jim Haggerty, a fictional Onion anchor, recast as a conspiracy-style podcaster.
Haggerty previously appeared as the host of The Onion’s fictional talk show Today Now! and in Porkin’ Across America, a food-travel series, The Verge reported. Jones also devoted multiple episodes to attacking Heidecker as he faced the loss of his show, according to The Verge.
The reboot marks a sharp turn for a name long associated with Jones’ conspiracy programming. The Onion is now trying to use that name for satire while the legal process around the property continues.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.