Alex Jones’ Infowars Officially Shuts Down After 27 Years

Alex Jones’ longtime program, Infowars, officially shut down its operations Thursday while a satirical website is trying to purchase the company.

Infowars shut down due to bankruptcy proceedings related to $1.4 billion defamation judgments owed to families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. The closure came after a court receiver halted payments for rent and services, which prompted Jones to move from his studio in Austin, Texas, and operate his independent company, the Alex Jones Network.

“All glory goes to Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father. We are committing ourselves to God in this holy fight and we are committed and if God stands with us, who can stand against us, and that’s how I close out,” Jones said.

Jones founded Infowars in March 1999.

The families of Sandy Hook victims and one Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent sued Jones and Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, for defamation and emotional distress after Jones repeatedly claimed the shooting was a hoax aimed at confiscating Americans’ firearms. A jury ordered Jones to pay at least $965 million in damages to the defendants in 2022, which prompted Jones and Free Speech Systems to file for bankruptcy protection.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez ordered the liquidation of Jones’ personal assets, including his stake in Infowars, in a June 2024 court decision, leading to a high-profile auction of Infowars. The Onion, a satirical website run by Ben Collins, won the auction and engaged in a legal fight with Jones, who claimed the auction was not fair.

The Onion planned on turning Infowars into a mockery of itself, though its acquisition of Infowars is currently in the hands of the Texas Supreme Court, according to NPR. A state judge in Austin held a hearing Thursday on whether to approve The Onion’s purchase, but the Texas Third Court of Appeals approved an emergency motion by Jones’ lawyers to temporarily block the transfer of any Infowars assets.