In a video posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) this morning, noted conspiracy theorist and right-wing media pundit Alex Jones announced that his media company had been bought at bankruptcy auction by The Onion, a satirical newspaper. Jones’ assets are being liquidated to satisfy a $1 billion judgment against him for defaming the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting victims, after he repeatedly stated that the event was “staged” and that parents of the murdered children were crisis actors – a conspiracy theory which maintains that people are hired to play the part of bereaved family members or victims in staged events. “Why did Hitler blow up the Reichstag — to get control,” Jones said on his program to explain the motive behind the supposed conspiracy. “Why do governments stage these things — to get our guns! Why can’t people get that through their head?” Some family members of the victims had to move house several times due to harassment from Jones’ viewers.
In his video on social media this morning, Jones stated that “the Connecticut Democrats with the Onion newspaper bought us,” though there is no reporting to suggest the involvement of any political party in the sale. In typical Jonesian fashion, he framed the auctioning of his company as part of a larger conspiracy, declaring that “this is the tyranny of the new world order, desperate to silence the American people, the mandate of Trump against all the lawfare – they don’t care.” Jones also said that the sale was not legal, telling his fans that he was “going to be here until they come in and turn the lights off, saying ‘where’s your court order?’” As of this writing, Jones’ website, infowars.com, leads to a blank page that says the site is “unavailable until further notice.”
Via our parent company @GlobTetrahedron
CEO @BryceTetraeder: https://t.co/c3yFESwUKU pic.twitter.com/LdTXKDNLnQ— The Onion (@TheOnion) November 14, 2024
For its part, The Onion immediately framed the acquisition with a sharp wit that has become its trademark. On X this morning, the satirical news outlet announced that both it and Infowars were actually acquired by “Global Tetrahedron”, a fictitious multinational run by CEO “Bryce Tetraeder,” linking to a pair of articles written in Tetraeder’s name on The Onion explaining both acquisitions. Tetraeder welcomes Infowars into the family of companies “encompassing everything from Lockheed Martin to the world’s largest puppy mill”, and that “much like family members, our brands are abstract nodes of wealth, interchangeable assets for their patriarch to absorb and discard according to the opaque whims of the market.” Its acquisition of The Onion apparently took place several months ago, explained by Tetraeder as part of Tetrahedron’s vision “where all the world’s publications are either bankrupt or owned by a private holding company that manipulates them for profit and glory.”
Alex Jones has said that he will continue to broadcast through other channels.
