The Onion buys Infowars in a surreal twist, sparking a wave of online hilarity
By Adam Albright-HannaNov. 15 2024, Published 8:55 p.m. ET
The Onion, renowned for its satire on politics and pop culture, won the bankruptcy auction for Alex Jones’s Infowars, a site notorious for peddling conspiracy theories. The satirical publication plans to turn Infowars into a self-parody, highlighting the absurdity of misinformation when “facts” turn out to be entirely fabricated. This twist quickly went viral, with fans and critics celebrating The Onion’s comedic move to acquire one of the internet's most infamous conspiracy hubs.
According to Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, the acquisition is both a punchline and a cultural statement. “We thought this would be a hilarious joke,” he told The New York Times. “This is going to be our answer to this no-guardrails world where there are no gatekeepers and everything’s kind of insane.”
The Onion’s plans for Infowars involve flipping its content to tackle misinformation through satire. In collaboration with Everytown for Gun Safety, the relaunched site will include ads and pieces focused on pressing social issues, including gun violence prevention. Despite the unconventional setup, many are applauding The Onion’s creative approach to address disinformation. “Thrilled to see that Alex Jones’s comeuppance continues,” commented NYT reader Eileen from Philadelphia. “Beautiful pairing of The Onion and Everytown for Gun Safety.”
Alex Jones ranting
Social media has since erupted with reactions. On Reddit, u/notsocharmingprince humorously wrote, “Lmao, this is going to create some absolute gold. I can't wait to see where this is going.” Over in the NYT comments section, Valentino from Los Angeles echoed the excitement, saying, “Best news I’ve read in months! I love The Onion, and this is a win/win for the grieving families of murdered children and a teaching moment for Jones’s audience.”
Other Reddit users joined in with their own imagined headlines for the revamped Infowars, with u/Duranu suggesting, “First Article: ‘They’re turning the fricken Frogs Straight.’” On the NYT side, George from North Carolina invoked humor as a remedy for disinformation, quoting Mark Twain: "Against the onslaught of laughter nothing can stand." He added, “I just re-subscribed to The Onion.”
Reflecting the surreal nature of the buyout, Loggerdon wrote, “I can’t believe it’s real. Thought it was an Onion story but it’s not.” And a NYT reader from Montana quipped, “What sweet retribution in this season of retribution threats.”
For those familiar with Infowars’ past, The Onion’s acquisition feels like poetic justice. The Sandy Hook families, who previously won a $1.4 billion defamation suit against Jones, endorsed the sale. “By divesting Jones of Infowars’ assets, the families and the team at The Onion have done a public service,” said Chris Mattei, attorney for the Sandy Hook families, to The New York Times. The Onion’s satirical takeover, backed by Jeff Lawson of Twilio, aims to relaunch Infowars next year in the spirit of ClickHole, The Onion’s sister site that pokes fun at viral content.
More comments rolled in, with Sam18 from the Bronx envisioning an improbable wave of justice: “Gaetzing becomes Webster’s word of the year, meaning ‘to come to one’s senses after a lifetime of rot and finally do the right thing’.”
Another witty comment from DGT of PNW summed up the mission of satire itself, quoting Dame Edna: “When you have to explain the nature of satire to somebody, you’re fighting a losing battle.” The sentiment resonated with many who see The Onion as “a national treasure,” as NYT reader anonymouse aptly described.
In a tongue-in-cheek statement about the acquisition, the Global Tetrahedron CEO quipped, "Through it all, Infowars has shown an unswerving commitment to manufacturing anger and radicalizing the most vulnerable members of society—values that resonate deeply with all of us at Global Tetrahedron." Redditor lunaappaloosa commented, “I’m losing it.”
The Onion’s creative move is being hailed as a humorous approach to address misinformation. “A small bit of sanity prevails in an otherwise insane America,” reflected NYT commenter DDH from Virginia.
In true Onion fashion, the publication has injected humor into the cultural conversation, signaling hope that even in an era of disinformation, laughter can make a difference. As u/SnooBananas8065 from Reddit put it, “Amazing. What a small but powerful win for the good of humanity 👏.”
The world will be watching come January as The Onion transforms Infowars into the ultimate satire site for the rest of the 2020s.
This article was written with assistance from artificial intelligence. Megaphone creates content primarily driven by people but aims for full transparency in how our storytelling is produced. To learn more about our policy on artificial intelligence, click here.