FILE - Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge, June 14, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - Attorneys Joshua Koskoff, left, and Christopher Mattei, right, representing parents, rear, of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, speak outside the Connecticut Supreme Court, Sept. 26, 2019, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Dave Collins, File)
A person records with a smartphone Mark Bankston, an attorney for relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, as he speaks to the media following a hearing at the county courthouse in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Mark Bankston, an attorney for relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, speaks to the media following a hearing at the county courthouse in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Mark Bankston, an attorney for relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, speaks to the media following a hearing at the county courthouse in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble resides over a hearing on the proposed licensing agreement for The Onion to take control over Alex Jones' Infowars at the Travis County District Court in Austin, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Gregory Milligan, the court-appointed manager controlling Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC, reads notes before a hearing on the proposed licensing agreement for The Onion to take control over Alex Jones' Infowars at the Travis County District Court in Austin, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
FILE - Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge, June 14, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
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FILE - Attorneys Joshua Koskoff, left, and Christopher Mattei, right, representing parents, rear, of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, speak outside the Connecticut Supreme Court, Sept. 26, 2019, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Dave Collins, File)
DC WMS
FILE - A copy of the satirical outlet The Onion is seen, Nov. 14, 2024, in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Jill Bleed, File)
Jill Bleed
A person records with a smartphone Mark Bankston, an attorney for relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, as he speaks to the media following a hearing at the county courthouse in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Mark Bankston, an attorney for relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, speaks to the media following a hearing at the county courthouse in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Mark Bankston, an attorney for relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, speaks to the media following a hearing at the county courthouse in Austin, Texas, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Judge Maya Guerra Gamble resides over a hearing on the proposed licensing agreement for The Onion to take control over Alex Jones' Infowars at the Travis County District Court in Austin, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
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Gregory Milligan, the court-appointed manager controlling Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC, reads notes before a hearing on the proposed licensing agreement for The Onion to take control over Alex Jones' Infowars at the Travis County District Court in Austin, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Onion’s plan to take over the Infowars platforms that Alex Jones built into a bullhorn of conspiracy theories and turn them into parody sites was in limbo again Thursday, after a Texas court paused a proposed deal involving the satirical news outlet.
Austin-based Infowars is facing liquidation because of the more than Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 for calling the Connecticut massacre a hoax. The proposed licensing deal would give The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars' trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property while a state receiver in Texas works toward liquidation.
A state judge in Austin had scheduled a hearing Thursday on whether to approve with the receiver. But the proceeding fizzled into a status conference because the Texas Third Court of Appeals late Wednesday approved an emergency motion by Jones’ lawyers that temporarily blocked the transfer of any Infowars assets. The judge set another hearing for May 28.
Lawyers for the Sandy Hook families had asked the Texas Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling, but the high court did not issue a decision before Thursday's hearing.
“This newly insane, unprecedented legal stalling does nothing but delay our deal with the receiver to take control of InfoWars,†Ben Collins, The Onion's CEO, said in a social media post ahead of the hearing. “We now expect new traps in Alex Jones’ amoral war to deny paying the Sandy Hook families, but we’re freshly surprised by the U.S. legal system’s appetite to put up with it.â€
The Onion already has been selling Infowars merchandise on its own website, including T-shirts and tote bags with an Infowars logo that replaces the “o†with its trademark onion image. It wants to turn the Infowars platforms into comedy sites that would include spoofing Jones, conspiracy theories and right-wing talking points, while giving revenue to the Sandy Hook victims’ relatives.
Jones declared victory in videos posted on his social media sites after the appellate court ruling. He called The Onion's plan illegal, citing pending appeals and his continuing personal bankruptcy case.
“I said days ago there’s no way the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas doesn’t overturn this — you know they’re all Democrats — because it’s so outrageous what you’ve done,†Jones said.
After Thursday’s hearing, Mark Bankston, a lawyer for some of the Sandy Hook victims’ relatives, accused Jones of delaying the liquidation of Infowars numerous times with court filings.
“As far as the world is concerned, Infowars is dead. Everybody knows that,†he said. “He’s trying to keep the bloated corpse of a media organization alive. It’s all a joke. Everybody knows where this is going.â€
It’s not the first time The Onion has hit a legal setback in plans to take over Infowars.
In November 2024, the Chicago-based satirical outlet was named the winner of a bankruptcy court auction of the assets of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, aimed at helping pay some of the defamation judgments. But a federal judge , citing problems with process and The Onion’s bid.
Jones said on his show this week that he has a new studio nearing completion. He already has set up a new phone app and websites, including one that sells the dietary supplements, clothing and other merchandise he hawks on his shows. And his personal X account, where he posts videos of his shows and has 4.5 million followers, is not affected by any of the court cases.
