The Onion is buying Infowars again, hoping to turn satire into a serious payout

The Onion, the long-running satirical news outlet known for headlines like 'Congress Passes Bill to Ban Congress,' says it's stepping into one of the internet's most bizarre sagas: the collapse of Alex Jones's Infowars. On Sunday, the company announced it has reached a deal to acquire the conspiracy theory platform, which has been in receivership since Jones was sued into bankruptcy by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims.

The move isn't just about owning another website - it's about closing a painful chapter. Jones was ordered to pay more than $1 billion in damages after repeatedly claiming the 2012 mass shooting was a hoax. The Onion, owned by Chicago-based Global Tetrahedron, says the purchase is both a legitimate business play and a kind of cultural intervention. 'We're not just buying a domain - we're buying a cautionary tale,' said CEO Ben Collins in a statement.

This isn't the first time The Onion has tried to take over Infowars. A previous bid fell apart in 2023 amid legal complications and skepticism from creditors. But this time, the offer appears more concrete, with plans to restructure the site's operations and possibly relaunch it with a mix of parody and commentary. Comedian Tim Heidecker, known for his absurdist political satire, is reportedly consulting on the project.

Court approval is still needed, and the final decision rests with the receiver managing Jones's assets. But the families of Sandy Hook victims, who have spent years fighting to collect what they're owed, see this as a promising development. 'It's not justice,' said one family member, who asked not to be named. 'But it's movement.'

From a business standpoint, the deal is unusual but not entirely surprising. The Onion has leaned into its meta-humor for years, and purchasing a site built on misinformation with a satirical outlet that mimics real news creates a kind of poetic irony. Still, some worry that reviving the Infowars brand - even as a joke - could give it new life in the wrong hands.

Supporters of the deal argue it's better for Infowars to be owned by a company that openly mocks misinformation than to be sold off in pieces to unknown buyers who might amplify its worst tendencies. 'Let the joke be the point,' said media analyst Dana Lee. 'Sometimes the best way to defang something dangerous is to make it ridiculous.'

For now, the future of Infowars hangs in the balance. If the court approves the sale, the site could return - not as a hub for conspiracy theories, but as a mirror held up to the absurdity of the online media age. Whether that's healing or just another layer of irony remains to be seen.