The Onion’s InfoWars officially has a launch date: On July 2nd, the conspiracy network previously run by Alex Jones will return as a comedy and media platform. The reboot comes more than a year and a half after news broke that the satirical news site was working to acquire the property owned by Jones, a conspiracy theorist who notably targeted victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting.
“Developed with the support of the Sandy Hook families, the new InfoWars is being reimagined as a comedy and cultural platform featuring original programming, guest talent, and new comedic voices,” a press release reads. “The project reflects The Onion’s broader vision to build a modern, internet-native comedy ecosystem rooted in curation, creativity, and direct audience engagement.”
The company says the relaunch coincides with a $100,000 donation to the Sandy Hook families that was raised through merch sales related to the project, and it says it will be “the first of many.”
“The donation represents the first funds the families will receive as a direct result of the sale process surrounding InfoWars,” the press release reads. After losing a defamation suit, Jones was ordered in 2022 to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the Sandy Hook shooting, which he for years has called a hoax.
The new InfoWars is led by comedian Tim Heidecker, who Jones spent several episodes attempting to undermine as he was about to lose his show. The Onion has teased its version of InfoWars in several social media clips: One clip features a recurring Onion character, the fictional newscaster Jim Haggerty, returning as a conspiracy-brained podcaster. Haggerty previously hosted Today Now!, The Onion’s daily talkshow, and Porkin’ Across America, a food travel show in which — spoiler — Haggerty eventually turns into a pig.
Under the current proposed deal for the takeover of InfoWars, The Onion would license the InfoWars brand from the court-appointed manager of the property. Heidecker told Wired that the site is “in limbo” but that The Onion is going ahead with the relaunch anyway.
“The story isn’t really about InfoWars anymore. It’s about what happens when you take a platform that was built around bullshit and fear and turn it into something that supports funny, human stuff instead,” Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion said in an email. “At a moment when so much of media is shrinking, we’re investing in comedians, creators, and original programming because we think people want something better, made by people.”
InfoWars will premier at 8PM ET on the 2nd at theonion.info and on The Onion’s social media channels.
Update June 18th: Added comment from Ben Collins.