Alex Jones has said his Infowars media empire might soon shut down as he prepares to sell off his company’s assets in an auction.
The radio show host said on Monday that unless “good guys” end up purchasing Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, he may no longer be able to continue running his show and website, known for pushing conspiracy theories.
Jones’ money issues stem from the near $1.5 billion he was ordered to pay the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas, after falsely claiming on his Infowars show that the attack—which left 26 people dead, including 20 children—was a hoax, and that the grieving parents were “crisis actors.” Jones has since acknowledged that the shooting happened and has appealed the judgments, The Associated Press reported.
A court-ordered auction of Jones’ company assets will take place on Wednesday, where items including the Infowars studio desk, video archive and even an armored truck will be available to bid on. Donald Trump ally Roger Stone is said to be among those interested in purchasing Infowars and allowing it to operate as normal, Jones’ critics wanting to shut the site down or completely transform it from its current brand.
Jones said on his Monday show that auctioneers were in the building that day marking items such as tables and microphones. He also vowed to continue broadcasting on another format if his Infowars site does end up being shut down.
Newsweek has contacted Infowars and Roger Stone for comment via email.
“So that’s how close this is,” Jones said. “Now, good guys say they’re going to buy it. OK, they’re good guys. They buy it. Who knows if they’re really good guys once they buy it, we’ve got to see.
“If the bad guys do buy this in less than 48 hours, I’ll keep broadcasting until they show up,” Jones added. “I’m going to stay on air until the last minute, because we don’t quit, and then I’m going to get on the new ship and continue on.”
Jones, who shared the clip of him discussing the auction on X, formerly Twitter, along with the caption: “BREAKING: Infowars To Close Its Doors Wednesday— Alex Jones Responds.”
In a follow-up post, Jones wrote: “There is a typo in this headline. Infowars could be closed down Wednesday if a hostile buyer gets it at action. Infowars will continue if the good guys are able to win the auction.”
In another video posted online, Jones added that even if Infowars closes he will find success elsewhere, similarly to how Tucker Carlson started broadcasting on X after he left Fox News.
“All you leftists celebrating at the end of Alex Jones and Infowars, you’re fools. Just watch,” he said. “My God, I can’t imagine how it’s going to blow up in your face. You fail, America wins.”
The auctions stem from Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022. His personal assets are also being liquidated to help pay damages from the Sandy Hook judgments. The deadline to submit bids on the Infowars assets was on Friday. Those deemed qualified are to participate in the auction on Wednesday. Unsold items are to be sold at another auction in December, according to The Associated Press.
Progressive media sites such as The Barbed Wire and Media Matters for America previously expressed an interest in taking over Infowars.
In September, The Barbed Wire publisher Jeff Rotkoff urged readers to donate to help buyout Infowars and turn it into a site that debunks misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Rotkoff told The Associated Press that it is now unlikely the site will make any offers to take over Jones’ site.
“But we have talked to a number of similarly ideologically aligned bidders and we are certain we will be outbid,” Rotkoff said.
“We’re thrilled that there appear to be multiple well-resourced bidders who share our interest in undoing much of the damage to our country done by Alex Jones. We’ll be rooting for those folks to be successful.”
Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, told Semafor in September: “We are diligently considering this acquisition.”
Jones’ X account, which has more than 3 million followers, is not up for sale as part of the auction, though further court decisions are pending.
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