Alex Jones bared all in a stripped-down rant directed towards The Onion, the new owners of his right-wing conspiracy-peddling site, Infowars.
“Just because you’re wearing my shirt doesn’t mean you’re me!” Jones, 52, said after crashing an Infowars livestream bare-chested. “You can’t take something over and then act like you’re somebody, even if you say it’s a parody.”
The Onion, whom Jones called “body snatchers,” secured a deal to license Infowars on Monday, according to the New York Times. The brand’s newly-appointed Creative Director, comedian Tim Heidecker, rubbed the purchase in Jones’ face.
“It’s looking very likely that Global Tetrahedron will seize control of Infowars in the coming days,” the Tim & Eric star, 50, said of The Onion’s satirically named parent company. “We’re looking forward to relaunching the site soon in the next coming months.”
Jones, who appeared on the livestream wearing only jeans, fumed about The Onion’s plans for his right-wing site.
“They’re going to misrepresent that they’re us to confuse people and, quote, ‘rip people off like Alex Jones did,’” Jones ranted. “They’re going to make money. The whole thing’s about defaming me!”
Jones lost ownership of Infowars in 2022 after he declared bankruptcy following his conviction for falsely claiming that the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre was a hoax. The site went into bankruptcy auction that year when Jones was unable to pay the $1.5 billion judgment awarded in the lawsuit.
The bankruptcy court blocked The Onion’s 2024 attempt to purchase the site and turn it into a parody of itself. Now, The Onion will license the brand and website for $81,000 per month, but Jones could contest the deal if he chooses to appeal the judge’s decision. He seems likely to do so.
“You can do a parody of somebody, but none of you took something from them. I’ve already checked with lawyers, so they’re in deep s--t,” Jones added.
“This is going to backfire big time, folks. You may try to take our skin, you may try to take our clothes, but we’re still the real Infowars,” he continued.
Jones, who noted that his team could get removed from their studio at the end of the month, said he would continue his show under his own name.
While Heidecker, who will reportedly parody Jones himself, jokingly said that The Onion had “all sorts of ideas” for Infowars, the outlet’s CEO made their intent clear.
Infowars will operate as “a digital platform and comedy network,” whose profits will help repay the Sandy Hook families.
“When Infowars finally goes dark, the machinery of lies that Jones built will become a force for social good, thanks to the families’ courage and The Onion’s vision, persistence and stewardship,” Ben Collins, The Onion’s CEO and former Daily Beast editor, told CNN.
