The Onion has not completed a purchase or a relaunch of Infowars. Its winning bid in a 2024 bankruptcy auction was rejected by the bankruptcy judge. A separate 2026 proposal to license Infowars’ intellectual property through a Texas court-appointed receiver was later blocked by appellate orders. The latest located report, dated September 9, 2026, said those orders remained in place; no later ruling was verified as of October 8, 2026.
Did The Onion buy Infowars?
No. The Onion was named the winning bidder for assets of Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company, at a bankruptcy auction in November 2024. In December, Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected the auction outcome, citing problems with the process and The Onion’s bid. The selection of a winning bidder did not become a completed purchase.
The distinction matters because the sale was part of Free Speech Systems’ bankruptcy process, intended to help satisfy defamation judgments. The judge’s decision concerned that auction. It did not approve a later deal, transfer the assets to The Onion, or settle the separate state-court dispute over Infowars’ intellectual property.
Why did the bankruptcy judge reject the auction?
The auction’s process and The Onion’s bid raised concerns for Judge Lopez, who threw out the result. The available reporting does not establish that the judge barred The Onion from pursuing every other route to Infowars assets. In 2026, the company pursued a different arrangement through a state-court receiver rather than treating the rejected auction as a completed sale.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHow was the 2026 license proposal different from the auction?
The two efforts used different legal mechanisms and were handled in different court proceedings. The auction was a proposed bankruptcy sale of assets; the later plan was a temporary license proposal involving Infowars intellectual property, including its website and social accounts.
| Issue | 2024 bankruptcy auction | 2026 receiver license proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Legal route | Bankruptcy auction for Free Speech Systems assets | Temporary license proposed through a Texas state-court receiver |
| What The Onion sought | To acquire assets as the selected winning bidder | Permission to use Infowars intellectual property, including the website and social accounts |
| Status in latest located reporting | Bankruptcy judge rejected the auction result in December 2024 | Transfer and licensing were blocked by appellate orders; no approval was reported |
Under the April 2026 proposal reported by the Associated Press, the license would have lasted six months, with a possible six-month renewal, and required court approval. The proposed payment was $81,000 per month to cover rent for the studio building, utilities, and other costs. Those were terms of a proposal, not evidence that the license began or that payments were made.
What blocked the proposed relaunch?
On April 30, 2026, an emergency appellate order temporarily blocked the transfer of Infowars assets. As a result, a scheduled state-court hearing did not decide whether to approve the proposed license and instead became a status conference.
The latest located update is a September 9, 2026 Law360 report that the Texas Supreme Court declined the Sandy Hook families’ requests to dissolve lower appellate orders blocking the receiver from taking control and licensing the intellectual property. That report describes the blocking orders remaining in effect; it does not establish a final decision on ownership. No later ruling was verified as of October 8, 2026.
What was The Onion planning to do with Infowars?
The Associated Press described the proposed site as a parody and comedy project, with comedian Tim Heidecker involved. Onion CEO Ben Collins said the company would build it into “a bigger comedy network” and that profits from the new operations would go to Sandy Hook families. Those statements describe the plan if the deal proceeded, not a completed relaunch or a confirmed stream of payments.
In April 2026, The Onion’s own website also offered Infowars-logo T-shirts and tote bags, according to reporting at the time. That establishes a limited merchandise offering; it does not show that The Onion obtained control of Infowars’ website or intellectual property.
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What does this mean for Infowars and the judgments?
The latest located legal update does not show that the receiver took control or that The Onion received permission to use the intellectual property. The proposed license therefore should not be described as an operating relaunch. The status of Infowars’ ongoing operations is not established by the cited reports, and the blocking orders do not by themselves resolve who ultimately owns the disputed intellectual property.
The bankruptcy auction was connected to efforts to satisfy defamation judgments against Free Speech Systems, but it is separate from the legal fight over the receiver’s proposed license. A Texas appellate ruling in August 2026 reduced the Texas judgment to about $6 million, according to the Associated Press; the report said the separate Connecticut judgment was unaffected. That damages appeal did not decide whether the license could proceed.
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