The Onion wins auction for Alex Jones' media company

Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks outside the federal courthouse after a June bankruptcy hearing in Houston. David J. Phillip/AP hide caption

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David J. Phillip/AP

Alex Jones' media company will likely no longer be owned by Alex Jones. Free Speech Systems, the parent company of his right-wing, conspiracy-laden Infowars show was sold in a bankruptcy liquidation auction yesterday to the satirical news outlet The Onion. The amount of the winning bid has not yet been disclosed.

Proceeds of the sale will go to paying down Jones' $1.5 billion debt to the Sandy Hook families who won two defamation suits against him after he spread false conspiracy theories that the 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., never happened. "The Connecticut families agreed to forgo a portion of their recovery to increase the overall value of The Onion's bid, enabling its success," according to their lawyers.

Jones accused the families of being actors who faked the killing of 20 children and 6 educators, and Jones' supporters who believed the lies threatened and harassed the families for years. The massive damages awarded to the families plunged Jones into bankruptcy, forcing the sale of his company. Yesterday's sale still needs to be approved by the bankruptcy judge.