The Onion Launches Infowars Parody, Kills Off Alex Jones in First Episode

The Onion began its weekly Infowars parody live stream on Thursday at 8 pm ET, available on Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram under the handle @realinfowars. The show, simply named 'Infowars', is a gonzo experimental comedy that lampoons internet culture and political commentators. Creative director Tim Heidecker returns as an Alex Jones impersonator.

The first episode features the death of Alex Jones: he 'explodes like a balloon' from eating too much Whataburger. This derails Heidecker's in-universe show 'Emergency', and the rest of the episode attempts to determine if Jones is still alive or has been dead for some time, possibly replaced by a body double.

The Onion first won a bankruptcy auction for Infowars in late 2024, supported by families of Sandy Hook victims who had sued Jones over his lies about the 2012 school shooting and won judgments totaling over $1 billion. A federal judge later voided the deal due to a bidding technicality. In April, The Onion announced another deal to take over Infowars' assets, paying licensing fees to the families, but a Texas appeals court paused the sale.

While the acquisition is in limbo, The Onion is proceeding with the parody on its own channels. CEO Ben Collins says this helps maintain Infowars' value so the families can eventually receive money. The company plans to initially donate $100,000 from merchandise sales directly to the families.

Creators say the parody also serves a cultural purpose by ridiculing internet conspiracy culture and 'brain rot'. Collins targets figures like Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, aiming to expose the absurdity of their rhetoric. The show features familiar faces including Tim Robinson, Brad Holbrook, and musician Nick Lutsko.