Overview
- On Thursday, June 18, The Onion announced a July 2 relaunch of Infowars-branded programming and said more than $100,000 raised from pre-sold merchandise will be routed to Sandy Hook families as a first payment.
- State and federal courts have repeatedly stayed or reversed turnover of Infowars assets, leaving the brand in legal limbo and making the precise mechanism for transferring funds unclear.
- Alex Jones is actively contesting the takeover, has taken Infowars.com offline and moved audiences to a new Alex Jones Network while pursuing appeals that have delayed collection on roughly $1.4–$1.5 billion in defamation judgments.
- The relaunch will run on The Onion’s channels and theonion.info with original shows led by comic talent including Tim Heidecker and recurring Onion characters rather than operating under the Infowars domain pending court approval.
- Some Sandy Hook family members and their attorneys support The Onion’s effort and have asked Texas courts to allow turnover so victims can be paid, but legal uncertainty means the project could prompt further litigation and court action.