The Onion to License Infowars with Tim Heidecker as Creative Director, per NYT Report

The Onion has reached an agreement to take over Alex Jones’ Infowars, with comedian Tim Heidecker set to serve as creative director of the platform, according to multiple reports confirmed on April 20, 2026.

The satirical news outlet announced the deal in conjunction with the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, who will benefit from the arrangement as part of ongoing efforts to collect the more than $1 billion in damages Jones owes them from a 2022 defamation verdict.

We’ve wanted this the whole time. We have not backed down at any moment.

Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion

Under the terms of the agreement, which remains subject to court approval, The Onion will initially pay a monthly licensing fee to the court-appointed receiver overseeing Infowars’ assets. The company has also secured a deal to purchase the full assets once the current judicial stay expires, pending final authorization from the bankruptcy court overseeing the proceedings.

The development marks the latest chapter in a legal saga that began in 2024 when The Onion won a court-mandated auction for Infowars’ parent company. That victory was later challenged by a federal bankruptcy judge who halted the sale, citing concerns about the auction process and disputes over competing bids. The judge subsequently advised the Sandy Hook families to pursue their claims in state court rather than at the federal level.

This is the culmination of a two-year-long effort to get some justice for the Sandy Hook families.

Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion

Tim Heidecker, best known as one half of the comedy duo Tim and Eric and for his work on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” on Adult Swim, first expressed interest in the project over a year ago after learning of The Onion’s initial bid for Infowars. Heidecker had previously parodied Alex Jones’ on-air persona and reached out through his representative to offer his services, though he did not receive an immediate response.

Frankly, I didn’t hear back. It got put on the back burner.

Tim Heidecker

More than a year later, Heidecker received a response from The Onion, informing him that the deal had been finalized and that they wanted him to serve as creative director in reimagining the platform as a comedic outlet. In this role, Heidecker will oversee content that parodies Jones himself and the conspiracy-driven programming that previously defined Infowars.

The takeover effort has received the explicit support of the Sandy Hook families, who view the transition as a means of accountability and potential restitution. Jones was found liable for defamation in 2022 after repeatedly claiming on-air that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre — in which six adults and 20 children were killed — was a “hoax.” Despite the verdict, he has not paid any portion of the damages owed to the victims’ families, leading to the liquidation of his assets under court supervision.

The new InfoWars will operate as a digital platform and comedy network led by ‘creative director’ Tim Heidecker of ‘Tim & Eric’ fame, who will parody Jones himself.

CNN report on the Infowars takeover

If approved by the court, the arrangement would conclude a legal battle spanning more than 18 months over the future of Jones’ media properties. The Onion’s leadership emphasized that the goal has always been to transform Infowars into a vehicle for satire rather than to perpetuate the conspiracy theories that once defined it.

For Heidecker, the role represents an opportunity to use comedy as a tool of cultural critique, continuing a tradition of satirical engagement with extremist media figures. His involvement signals a shift from Infowars’ origins as a platform for fringe conspiracy theories to a new iteration focused on humor and parody under The Onion’s editorial direction.