Alex Jones’ Infowars broadcast has come to an abrupt end, marking its final transmission on Friday after failing to settle damages owed to the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
The contentious platform, known for its far-right commentary, officially went offline on Thursday. Meanwhile, a comedian associated with the satirical website The Onion has accused Jones of attempting to obstruct its acquisition of Infowars through legal maneuvers.
In recent weeks, The Onion announced it had reached an agreement to purchase Infowars. However, Tim Heidecker, the comedian and newly appointed Creative Director for The Onion, claimed that Jones had temporarily hindered the transaction.
“This guy, Alex Jones, has somehow managed to get involved with the Texas Third Court of Appeals,” Heidecker stated. “He secured a ‘stay’ that delays the transfer of the site until another ruling is made.”
Since The Onion unveiled its acquisition plans on April 20, the deal has been stalled, with Jones now seeking to challenge a court ruling that mandates the liquidation of his company.
Infowars has been teetering on the brink since 2021 when Jones was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the families affected by the Sandy Hook tragedy. Jones falsely claimed that the horrific event, in which 20 children and six educators lost their lives, was a “hoax.”
Following years of court battles, a Texas judge in 2024 ordered that Infowars’ parent company Free Speech Systems be liquidated to pay the families.
The Onion said it acquired Infowars with the support of the Sanky Hook families, and on Friday, Jones said a court-appointed receiver told him and his crew to leave their Austin headquarters.
Alex Jones’ Infowars ended its broadcast for the final time on Friday after failing to pay damages to the Sandy Hook shooting victims’ families
Despite The Onion’s Heidecker saying Jones had found a court to issue a last-minute stay, the Infowars site on Friday showed only an ‘Off Air’ note.
In a video shared Friday, Jones announced to his followers: ‘It’s locked up and that’s it, and so we’re gone.
‘Now maybe in court we win, we get back in there or something but I don’t think that’s probably going to happen.’
The Hail Mary move from Jones saw a three-judge panel in the Texas Court of Appeals issue an order on Wednesday night that temporary froze Infowars’ asset turnover to the Sandy Hook families.
The judges also halted an appeal of defamation judgements against Jones filed by the families.
The order from the judges meant the court-appointed receiver, who was given control of Infowars’ assets to satisfy the $1.5 billion judgement to the Sanky Hook families, was restricted, per Bloomberg.
The receiver had been bidding to license the trademark and associated domains for Free Speech Systems, but the judges paused that move while the appeal is heard.
On Thursday, The Onion CEO Ben Collins slammed the ruling as an ‘unprecedented situation’, but vowed that it would not stop Infowars from being shut down.
He signed off a post on his Bluesky account: ‘Goodbye, get lost, and we’ll see you soon.’
Infowars has struggled to stay afloat since Jones was ordered to pay the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims $1.5 billion in 2021, after he falsely claimed the tragedy where 20 children and six teachers were murdered was a ‘hoax
Despite Infowars’ site going down, Jones announced on X that he was not ending his own broadcasting and launched a new show, The Alex Jones Network, to continue streaming to his millions of followers
The Onion says it bought Infowars out of revenge for Jones’ outrageous allegations aimed at the Sandy Hook families, and said they intend to relaunch the site as a satirical outlet.
‘We thought it’d be the funniest joke of all time, basically,’ Collins told Good Morning America in 2024.
‘Infowars is a clearing house for lies and nonsense in a bad way. The garbage they put out over the last two decades has really hurt a lot of people.
‘They’ve targeted the families of the Sandy Hook victims, that led to the defamation case that allowed for auction.’
Despite Infowars’ site going down, Jones announced on X that he was not ending his own broadcasting.
He said Friday that he had launched a new show, The Alex Jones Network, to continue streaming to his millions of followers.
