Satirical news publication The Onion has bought Infowars, the media organisation headed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, for an undisclosed price at a court-ordered auction.
The Onion said that the bid was secured with the backing of families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who won a $1.5b (£1.18b) defamation lawsuit against Jones for spreading false rumours about the victims.
A judge in Texas ordered the auction in September, and various groups – both Jones’s allies and detractors – had suggested they would bid for the company.
Jones founded Infowars in 1999. He has vowed to continue broadcasting using a different platform.
Ben Collins, a former NBC News journalist who is chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, said on X: “We’re planning on making a very stupid website.”
In a rambling video message posted Thursday morning, Jones called the takeover a “total attack on free speech”.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m going to be here until they come in and turn the lights off.”