Tim Heidecker initially thought The Onion had ghosted him. When the Tim and Eric star first heard that the satirical news outlet was looking to acquire Infowars—the extremist media outfit founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones—Heidecker reached out through his agent. He had parodied Jones’ gruff, hysteric mannerisms for years, and although he didn’t have a concrete plan, he knew he wanted to offer his services.
“Frankly, I didn’t hear back. It got put on the back burner,” Heidecker tells Rolling Stone. Over a year later, he finally received a response. The Onion had successfully closed a deal to take over the famed conspiracy website, and they wanted to reshape it as a comedic project with Heidecker at its creative helm.
A New Vision for Infowars
The Onion first entertained the possibility of taking over Infowars in 2024, following a legal verdict in favor of a coalition of Sandy Hook families who sued Jones for defamation over his baseless claims that the school shooting was a false-flag hoax. The verdict pushed Jones and Infowars into bankruptcy, with his assets placed under a court-appointed monitor to facilitate liquidation.
The takeover faced significant delays due to legal maneuvers by Jones and competing buyers. Under the new deal, which awaits final judicial approval, The Onion will pay a monthly licensing fee to the court-appointed manager. “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, stated. The publication recently released its first teaser clip, featuring the former Onion News Network host Jim Haggerty reimagined as a satirical, red-pilled independent podcaster.
Turning Satire Into Justice
When asked about the weight of taking over such a controversial brand, Heidecker emphasizes the power of mockery. “I know in fact that families want this person to feel bad and hurt. A bit of retribution or justice and consequences for what he did, and I think the strongest way to do that is not through violence—but just through laughing at somebody. Making fun of that person, mocking them, making them look like a fool.”
Heidecker views this as a long-term project. “The initial radical thought I had was, ‘Can you change what the word Infowars means to people?’ Give it four years and suddenly it means something else.”
Regarding the creative direction, Heidecker notes that the satire of the Alex Jones universe has a “fairly short runway.” His goal is to transition the platform into a legitimate comedy streaming site. “I think there’s going to be this period where we’re going to really lean into the satire of this and play with that for a while and let that play its course,” he explains.
As for the future of the project, Heidecker is focused on building a roster of unique voices. He has already brought on Mia DiPasquale, who previously ran Super Deluxe, to serve as head of programming. While a firm relaunch date remains dependent on legal proceedings, the team is aiming for a debut by late May.