The Onion’s acquisition of Infowars is on hold — for now

Austin-based Infowars won’t be acquired by The Onion. That is, at least for now.

A successful last-minute appeal by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones means his flagship platform won’t be turned over to the satirical media outlet until after a hearing next month.

The move by Jones’ attorneys preserves the status quo of his platform. Infowars was set to be acquired by The Onion, which aimed to revamp the site and give profits to the Sandy Hook families Jones was accused of defaming. Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages in 2022 and filed for bankruptcy.

Attorney Mark Bankston, who represents families in the Texas case against Jones, said his successful appeal is part of a frustratingly familiar pattern. He said Jones has avoided paying anything to the victims for years.

“There’s nothing about this that sets the train off the track. It’s just somebody pulled the brake for a minute,” he said. “And that is frustrating, and it keeps happening in this case.”

Texas’ Third Court of Criminal Appeals sided with Jones Wednesday, sending the case back to trial court. Travis County Judge Maya Guerra Gamble scheduled a hearing to address those concerns for May 28.

Jones’ broadcast and website featured a countdown proclaiming it was potentially the last broadcast of the show known as Infowars. Jones said Friday he would rebrand the platform as the Alex Jones Network and continue his show, praising the Third Court of Appeals’ decision.

“I thank my enemies for their persecution because that which does not kill me only makes me stronger,” Jones said. “And I like to fight.”

Bankston addressed the attempted rebrand of the show after the hearing Thursday, saying the hearing next month could “finally put this ridiculous saga to bed” and provide restitution for Sandy Hook families.

“As far as the world is concerned, InfoWars is dead. I think everybody knows that,” Bankston said. “He’s trying to keep a bloated corpse of a media organization alive in these last little bits, but it’s, it’s all a joke. Everybody knows where we’re going.”