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Infowars conspiracy mega-site, whose founder and lead host Alex Jones became the face of monetized suspicion in America, was acquired in a bankruptcy auction by the satirical media company The Onion. They plan to relaunch Infowars as a parody of itself, with the support of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun law reform. The news was the first reported by The New York Times.

On Thursday morning, Jones broadcast a stunned and defiant monologue, calling the news “crazy,” saying he wouldn’t go off the air until someone came in and forced him off the air with a court order. “They’re in the control room,” Jones said on air. “Imperial troops are through the glass. »

“It’s a real honor to be here to challenge the bullies,” Jones said at one point.

Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion and former reporter covering misinformation at NBC News, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mother Jones. Bankruptcy Court-Ordered Auction Process for Infowars concluded yesterday; the bids were secret and reviewed behind closed doors by a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, Christopher Murray. The process surprised some close to the case, who said Mother Jones they believed the offers should be reviewed publicly. Murray also did not respond to a request for comment.

On Thursday morning’s show, a producer arrived while Jones was still broadcasting and announced off-camera that “they” were working on “stopping it momentarily,” meaning both Infowars and Banned.video, another site used to distribute Infowars content. Jones then called Steve Bannon on speakerphone, who unleashed a series of audible profanities before Jones interrupted him. Bannon implored Jones’ team to film the alleged raid.

In an interview with the TimesCollins did not reveal how much The Onion paid for Infowars, but said it would relaunch in January, mocking “weird internet personalities” like Alex Jones.

Jones had reported that he was “working with” a group of “nice” buyers, including former Trump adviser and longtime Infowars personality Roger Stone, who apparently did not, in the eyes of administrator, put together the best offer. Not surprisingly, Jones said the process was rigged.

As Jones continued to broadcast frantically, he also declared, unconvincingly, that he was at peace with the decision and encouraged people to visit a new eponymous news site that he had already created. “All you’re doing is closing the building and taking down AlexJones.com and the Infowars store,” he said, listing virtually everything of value in his business. “We have received funds. We have top lawyers. We are moving forward. The wind has turned.

At another point, Jones explained, “You’ll notice I got really fat years ago because I didn’t care about myself. It was around this time that he realized “these people really want to destroy me,” he said, which led him to take up hiking and exercising.

“You want me to be depressed, you want me to be sad, you want me to retire from the game, you’re going to get the opposite,” he said. “You will face total and peaceful resistance to information. And I have the support of the people.

Jones also said he would “spend time with my family,” “fight corruption” and “remove the deep state from power.” In the meantime, Infowars could be shut down at any time.

“They’re here,” Jones said, looking off-screen, “saying the building belongs to them.”