Alex Jones (radio)
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Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
radio show host and prominent
conspiracy theorist A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
. ''The Alex Jones Show'' is the longest-running online news and politics talk show; it was previously broadcast by the
Genesis Communications Network The Genesis Communications Network, often referred to as GCN, was a radio network that operated from 1998 to 2024, owned by Ted Anderson. The network, at its peak, produced 45 shows, distributed on more than 780 radio stations nationwide. The net ...
across the United States via syndicated and
internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...
. He is the founder of '' InfoWars and Banned.Video'', websites that promote conspiracy theories and fake news. Among many other conspiracy theories, Jones has alleged that the United States government either concealed information about or outright falsified the
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Newtown Public Schools, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. The victims were 20 children bet ...
, the
Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, United States, on April 19, 1995. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Perpetr ...
, the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, and the
1969 Moon landing Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Lu ...
.Multiple sources: * * * * * He has also claimed that several governments and large businesses have colluded to create a globalist " New World Order" through "manufactured economic crises, sophisticated surveillance tech and—above all— inside-job terror attacks that fuel exploitable hysteria". Jones has provided a platform for
white nationalists White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wav ...
and
neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...
on his website, ''Banned.Video'', as well as providing an "entry point" to their ideology. In 2023, leaked texts from Jones's phone revealed that he created the website '' National File'' to evade social media bans on ''InfoWars'' content. A longtime critic of Republican and Democratic foreign and security policy, Jones supported
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's 2016 presidential bid and continued to support him as a savior from an alleged criminal bipartisan cabal controlling the federal government, despite also falling out with Trump over several of his policies, including airstrikes against the Assad regime. A staunch supporter of Trump's re-election, Jones also supported the
attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election After Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee and then-incumbent president Donald Trump pursued an unprecedented ...
. On January 6, 2021, Jones was a speaker at the rally in Lafayette Square Park supporting Trump preceding the latter's supporters' attack on the US Capitol. In October 2022, for Jones's defamatory falsehoods about the Sandy Hook shooting, juries in Connecticut and Texas awarded a total of $1.487 billion in damages from Jones to a first responder and families of victims; the plaintiffs alleged that Jones's lies led to them being threatened and harassed for years. On December 2, 2022, Jones filed for
personal bankruptcy Personal bankruptcy law allows, in certain jurisdictions, an individual to be declared bankrupt. Virtually every country with a modern legal system features some form of debt relief for individuals. Personal bankruptcy is distinguished from corpora ...
.


Early life and influences

Alexander Emerick Jones was born on February 11, 1974, in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, Texas, and was raised in Rockwall, 25 miles east of Dallas. His father was a dentist from
Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
and his mother was a
homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...
. He says he has English, German, Scottish, and Irish descent.
(hardcopy image accessible ''via''
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; & , subscription required)
The family moved to Austin in Jones's second year of high school. He attended Anderson High School, where he played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and graduated in 1993. After graduating, Jones briefly attended
Austin Community College The Austin Community College District (ACC) is a public community college system serving the Austin, Texas, metropolitan area and surrounding Central Texas communities. The college maintains numerous campuses, centers, and distance learning opti ...
before dropping out. As a teenager, he read ''None Dare Call It Conspiracy'', a book by
John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, right-wing populist, and ...
conspiracy theorist
Gary Allen Frederick Gary Allen (August 2, 1936 – November 29, 1986) was an American conservative writer. Allen was the father of four children, including Michael Allen, a political news journalist. Allen died as the result of a liver ailment in 1986 ...
, which alleged global bankers controlled American politics rather than elected officials. It had a profound influence on him, and Jones has described Allen's work as "the easiest-to-read primer on The New World Order".


Waco siege and Oklahoma bombing

The
Waco siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the siege by US federal government and Texas state law enforcement officials of a compound belonging to the religious cult known as the Branch Davidians, between February 28 and April 19, 1993 ...
at the
Branch Davidian The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, or the Branch Seventh-day Adventists) are a religious sect founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General A ...
complex near
Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...
, had an impact on Jones. It ended in April 1993, near the end of Jones's senior year of high school, with a substantial fire and a significant number of fatalities. According to the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
(SPLC), these events "only confirmed his belief in the inexorable progress of unseen, malevolent forces". It was at this time he started to host a call-in show on public access television (PACT/ACTV) in Austin. The
Oklahoma City bombing The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, United States, on April 19, 1995. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Perpetr ...
on April 19, 1995, was intended by perpetrator
Timothy McVeigh Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was an American domestic terrorist who masterminded and perpetrated the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. The bombing itself killed 167 people (including 19 children), injured ...
as a response to the federal involvement in the botched resolution of the Waco siege on its second anniversary. Jones began accusing the federal government of having caused it: "I understood there's a kleptocracy working with psychopathic governments—clutches of evil that know the tricks of control". He did not believe the bombing had been the responsibility of McVeigh and his associate
Terry Nichols Terry Lynn Nichols (born April 1, 1955) is an American domestic terrorism in the United States, domestic terrorist who was convicted for conspiring with Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing plot. Nichols was born in Lapeer, Michigan. ...
. In 1998, he released his first film, ''America Destroyed by Design''. In 1998, Jones organized a successful campaign to build a new Branch Davidian church as a memorial to those who died during the 1993 fire. He often discussed the project on his public-access television program. He claimed that
David Koresh David Koresh (; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader. who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect, Koresh claimed to be its fin ...
and his followers were peaceful people who were murdered by Attorney General
Janet Reno Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer and public official who served as the 78th United States Attorney General, United States attorney general from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. A member of ...
and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...
during the siege.


Early broadcasting career

Jones began his career in Austin working on a live, call-in format public-access cable television program. In 1996, Jones switched to radio, hosting a show named ''The Final Edition'' on KJFK (98.9 FM). Influenced by radio host
William Cooper William Cooper may refer to: Business *William Cooper (accountant) (1826–1871), founder of Cooper Brothers * William Cooper (businessman) (1761–1840), Canadian businessman * William Cooper (co-operator) (1822–1868), English co-operator * Wil ...
, who phoned in to Jones's early shows, Jones began to broadcast about the
New World Order conspiracy theory The New World Order (NWO) is a term often used in conspiracy theory, conspiracy theories which hypothesizes, hypothesize a secretly emerging totalitarian world government. The common theme in conspiracy theories about a New World Order is that ...
at this time. While running for Congress,
Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...
was a guest on his show several times. In 1999, Jones tied with Shannon Burke for that year's poll of "Best Austin Talk Radio Host", as voted by readers of ''
The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...
.'' Later that year, he was fired from KJFK-FM for refusing to broaden his topics. The station's operations manager said that Jones's views made it difficult for the station to sell advertising. Jones said:


''InfoWars''

In about 1999, Jones founded with his then-wife Kelly Jones the website ''InfoWars'', initially as a mail-order outlet for the sale of their conspiracy-oriented videos. Over time, ''InfoWars'', with Jones as its publisher and director, became a prominent
fake news website Fake news websites (also referred to as hoax news websites) are websites on the Internet that deliberately publish fake news—hoaxes, propaganda, and disinformation purporting to be news, real news—often using social media to drive web traffic ...
centered on promoting
conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
. In November 2016, the ''InfoWars'' website received approximately 10 million visits, making its reach more extensive than mainstream news websites such as ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' and ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
''. Another of Jones's websites is PrisonPlanet.com.


''The Alex Jones Show''

After his firing from KJFK-FM, Jones began to broadcast his own show by Internet connection from his home. In July 2000, a group of Austin Community Access Center (ACAC) radio hosts claimed that Jones had used legal proceedings and ACAC policy to intimidate them or try to get their broadcasts removed. In 2001, Jones's radio show was syndicated on approximately 100 stations. On the day of the
9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, Jones said on his radio show there was a "98 percent chance this was a government-orchestrated controlled bombing". He began promoting the conspiracy theory that the Bush administration was behind the attack. As a result, several stations dropped Jones's program, according to columnist Will Bunch. Jones became a leading figure of the " 9/11 truther" cause. In 2010, the show attracted around two million listeners each week. According to Alexander Zaitchik of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine, in 2011 Jones had a larger on-line audience than
Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...
and
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...
combined. In 2020, ''The Alex Jones Show'' was syndicated nationally by the
Genesis Communications Network The Genesis Communications Network, often referred to as GCN, was a radio network that operated from 1998 to 2024, owned by Ted Anderson. The network, at its peak, produced 45 shows, distributed on more than 780 radio stations nationwide. The net ...
to more than 100 AM and FM radio stations in the United States. According to journalist Will Bunch, a senior fellow at
Media Matters for America Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit left-leaning watchdog journalism organization. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Research Center. It seeks to ...
, the show has a demographic that leans more towards younger listeners than do other conservative pundits, due to Jones's "highly conspiratorial tone and Web-oriented approach". Bunch also stated that Jones "feed on the deepest
paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...
". Jones told ''The Washington Post'' in November 2016 that his radio show, then syndicated to 129 stations, had a daily audience of five million listeners and his video streams had topped 80 million viewers in a single month. Jones's syndicator, Genesis Communications Network, announced its shutdown effective May 5, 2024, citing financial losses. The owners plan to migrate Jones's show, and others, to other networks.


Website, own-brand and endorsed products

According to court testimony Jones delivered in 2014, ''InfoWars'' then had revenues of over $20 million a year. A 2017 piece for German magazine ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' by Veit Medick indicated that two-thirds of Jones's funds derive from sales of his own products. These products are marketed through the ''InfoWars'' website and through advertising spots on Jones's show. They include
dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...
s, toothpaste,
bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and explosion fragments to the torso. The vest can be either soft ...
s and "brain pills", which hold "an appeal for anyone who believes
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
is near", according to Medick. From September 2015 to the end of 2018, the InfoWars store made $165 million in sales, according to court filings relating to the Sandy Hook lawsuits filed against Jones. In August 2017, Californian medical company
Labdoor, Inc Labdoor is a privately held medical company registered in San Francisco, California, founded in May 2012 by Neil Thanedar. It provides information on dietary supplements, which do not require testing by the FDA in the United States. History B ...
reported on tests applied to six of Jones's dietary supplement products. These included a product named Survival Shield, which was found by Labdoor to contain only
iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...
, and a product named Oxy-Powder, which comprised a compound of
magnesium oxide Magnesium oxide (MgO), or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium (see also oxide). It has an empirical formula of MgO and consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2− ions ...
and
citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the formula . It is a Transparency and translucency, colorless Weak acid, weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in Citrus, citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, ...
—common ingredients in dietary supplements. Labdoor indicated no evidence of prohibited or harmful substances, but cast doubt on the marketing claims for these products, and asserted that the quantity of the ingredients in certain products would be "too low to be appropriately effective". On a 2017 segment of ''
Last Week Tonight A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...
'', host
John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British and American comedian who hosts ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' on HBO. He started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom and came to wider attention for his work ...
stated that Jones spends "nearly a quarter" of his on-air time promoting products sold on his website, many of which are purported solutions to medical and economic problems claimed to be caused by the conspiracy theories described on his show. Research commissioned in 2017 by the
Center for Environmental Health The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is an American non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) organization working to protect children and families from harmful chemicals in air, food, water and in everyday products. Its vision and mission are "(A) ...
(CEH) determined that two products sold by Jones contained potentially dangerous levels of the heavy metal lead. Jones continued his promotion of supplements during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On March 12, 2020, Jones was issued a
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent by one party, often a business, to warn another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act, such as copyright infringement, and that they will take legal action if the oth ...
from the
Attorney General of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and head of the Department of Law of the government of New York (state), state government. The office has existed in various forms since ...
, after he claimed, in the absence of any evidence, that products he sold, including
colloidal silver The medical uses of silver include its use in wound dressings, creams, and as an antibiotic coating on medical devices. Wound dressings containing silver sulfadiazine or silver nanomaterials may be used to treat external infections. The limited ...
toothpaste, were an effective treatment for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. The
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
(FDA) also sent him a letter on April 9, 2020, warning that the federal government might proceed to seize the products he was marketing for COVID-19 or fine him if he continued to sell them. A disclaimer then appeared on Jones's website, stating his products were not intended for treating "the novel coronavirus". On a linked page, Jones was quoted: "They plan on, if they've fluoridated you and vaccinated you and stunned you and mesmerized you with the TV and put you in a trance, on killing you." Jones continued to sell the products. According to leaked text messages from Jones's mobile phone, ''InfoWars'' sold VasoBeet, a product it described as a "powerful beet formula", at a 900% retail markup as of September 2019. On January 29, 2020, ''InfoWars'' pulled in $245,000 in food sales, a day after Jones stoked fear about food shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in a broadcast. During the April 2022 ''InfoWars'' bankruptcy hearing, Jones's representative stated, "''InfoWars'' is a prominent trademark in the conspiracy theory community and Alex Jones is equally as prominent". He added that Jones's name was the "
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
of the conspiracy theory community". In 2023, Jones launched a new subscription-based podcast, ''Alex Jones Live''. It was put on hold shortly after it began due to matters relating to his Sandy Hook case.


Social media restrictions and bans

In February 2018, YouTube issued a "strike" against the ''InfoWars'' channel after a video was posted in which Alex Jones accused David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting, of being a paid "crisis actor". YouTube removed the video for violating its policies against harassment and bullying. On July 24, 2018, YouTube removed four ''InfoWars'' videos citing "child endangerment and hate speech", issued another "strike" against the channel, and suspended the ability to
live stream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- live ...
. On July 27, 2018, Facebook suspended Jones's profile for 30 days, and removed the same videos, saying they violated the website's standards against hate speech and bullying. On August 3, 2018,
Stitcher Radio Stitcher was a media company that specialized in the creation, distribution, and monetization of Podcast, podcasts. Stitcher created original shows through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provided ad sales and distribution ser ...
removed all of his podcasts, citing harassment. Later that year, on August 6, 2018, Facebook,
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
, YouTube and
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
removed all content by Jones and ''InfoWars'' for policy violations. YouTube removed channels associated with ''InfoWars'', including The Alex Jones Channel, stating that ''InfoWars'' had repeatedly attempted to post content similar to that which had already been removed, as well as attempting to circumvent the suspension of its live streaming privileges by having other users live stream on its behalf. On Facebook, four pages associated with ''InfoWars'' and Alex Jones were removed over repeated policy violations. Apple removed all podcasts associated with Jones from
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. Facebook cited instances of dehumanizing immigrants, Muslims and
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
people, as well as glorification of violence, as examples of
hate speech Hate speech is a term with varied meaning and has no single, consistent definition. It is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as ...
. After ''InfoWars'' was banned from Facebook, Jones used another of his websites, ''NewsWars'', to circumvent the ban. On August 13, 2018,
Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...
removed all of Jones's videos because of "prohibitions on discriminatory and hateful content". Jones's accounts were also removed from
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,
Mailchimp Mailchimp is a marketing automation and email marketing platform. "Mailchimp" is the trade name of its operator, Rocket Science Group, an American company founded in 2001 by Ben Chestnut and Mark Armstrong, with Dan Kurzius joining at a later ...
and
LinkedIn LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented Social networking service, social network. It was launched on May 5, 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly. Since December 2016, LinkedIn has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft. ...
. , Jones retained active accounts on
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
,
Google+ Google+ (sometimes written as Google Plus, stylized as G+ or g+) was a Social networking service, social network owned and operated by Google until it ceased operations in 2019. The network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challe ...
and Twitter. Jones tweeted a
Periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
video calling on others to get their "battle rifles" ready against antifa, the mainstream media, and Chicom operatives. In the video, he says: "Now is time to act on the enemy before they do a false flag." Twitter cited this as the reason to suspend his account for a week in August 2018. In September, Jones was permanently banned from Twitter and Periscope after comments about
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
reporter Oliver Darcy. On September 7, 2018, the ''InfoWars'' app was removed from the
Apple App Store The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be download ...
for "objectionable content". He was banned from using
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for business transactions, having violated the company's policies by expressing "hate or discriminatory intolerance against certain communities and religions". After
Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter Businessman and U.S. political figure Elon Musk initiated an acquisition of the American social media company Twitter, Inc. on April 14, 2022, and concluded it on October 27, 2022. Musk had begun buying shares of the company in January 2022, ...
, several previously banned accounts were reinstated including Donald Trump,
Andrew Tate Emory Andrew Tate III (born 1 December 1986) is an American and English social media personality, businessman, and former professional kickboxer who is also a citizen of Vanuatu among another countries. He gained notoriety for promoting ...
and Ye, but Jones was not among them. In November 2022,
Musk Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. ' ...
referred to Jones as a person who "would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame" and said Jones would not be unbanned. He changed his position on December 10, 2023, when he reinstated Jones's account citing that if Jones said something false,
Community Notes Community Notes, formerly known as Birdwatch, is a Software feature, feature on Twitter, X (formerly Twitter) where contributors can add Context (linguistics), context such as Fact-checking, fact-checks under a post, image or video. It is a co ...
would correct him. ''InfoWars'' remained available on
Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of consumer electronics that includes streaming players, smart TVs (and their operating systems), as well as a free TV streaming service. The brand is owned by Roku, Inc., an American company. As of 2024, Roku is the U ...
devices, in January 2019, a year after the channel's removal from multiple streaming services. Roku indicated that they do not "curate or censor based on viewpoint", and that it had policies against content that is "unlawful, incited illegal activities, or violates third-party rights", but that ''InfoWars'' was not in violation of these policies. Following a social media backlash, Roku removed ''InfoWars'' and stated, "After the ''InfoWars'' channel became available, we heard from concerned parties and have determined that the channel should be removed from our platform." In March 2019, YouTube terminated the Resistance News channel due to its reuploading of live streams from ''InfoWars''. On May 1, 2019, Jones was barred from using both Facebook and Instagram. Jones briefly moved to
Dlive DLive is an American video live streaming service which was founded in 2017. It was purchased by BitTorrent in 2019. Due to the site's lax enforcement of prohibited content guidelines, DLive has become a popular alternative to YouTube and Twit ...
, but was suspended in April 2019 for violating community guidelines. In March 2020, the ''InfoWars'' app was removed from the
Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...
store due to Jones disseminating
COVID-19 misinformation False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messagi ...
. A Google spokesperson stated that "combating misinformation on the Play Store is a top priority for the team" and apps that violate Play policy by "distributing misleading or harmful information" are removed from the store. Comedian
Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is o ...
attracted controversy for hosting Jones on his podcast, ''
The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and produce ...
'', in October 2020. The episode was made available on YouTube and Spotify in spite of Jones's ban from both platforms. Though Rogan occasionally
fact-checked Fact-checking is the process of verifying the factual accuracy of questioned reporting and statements. Fact-checking can be conducted before or after the text or content is published or otherwise disseminated. Internal fact-checking is such che ...
Jones throughout the course of the interview, he nonetheless faced backlash from critics for giving Jones a platform to spread misinformation and validate his views. A YouTube spokesman responded that YouTube reviewed the episode and determined it did not violate the site's guidelines, noting that YouTube bans channels rather than individuals. In March 2023, the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
reported on Jones' leaked texts from his Sandy Hook defamation trial. The texts revealed that Jones and his collaborators had been trying to evade social media bans of ''InfoWars'' content by setting up alternate websites such as '' National File'' to disguise its origin. In May 2023, Jones guest hosted
Steven Crowder Steven Blake Crowder (; born July 7, 1987) is an American-Canadian conservative political commentator and Internet personality. Early in his career, Crowder worked for Fox News and posted videos on conservative media platforms. He then began h ...
's podcast ''Louder with Crowder''. Crowder's channel was subsequently suspended by YouTube for facilitating
ban evasion On the Internet, a block is a technical measure intended to restrict access to information or resources. Blocking and its inverse, unblocking, may be implemented by the owners of computers using software. Blocking may also refer to denying ac ...
by Jones.


Shutdown, liquidation and sale

On June 23, 2024, Christopher Murray, Jones' bankruptcy trustee, filed an emergency motion in a Houston court where he indicated his intent to not only sell ''InfoWars'', but also shut down the website and liquidate its assets. In the motion, Murray stated that he made plans to "conduct an orderly wind-down" of the operations of ''InfoWars'''s parent company and also "liquidate its inventory." On November 14, 2024, a planned sale to ''
The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based in Chicago, but originated as a weekly print publication ...
'', a satirical news site, was halted for review. On November 18, 2024, attorneys for Jones filed a lawsuit in the U.S Bankruptcy Court in Houston, alleging that ''The Onion'''s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, and several families of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, submitted an unlawful bid for the assets of ''InfoWars'''s parent company. There was a court hearing on December 9.


Views and incidents

Jones has described himself as a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
,
paleoconservative Paleoconservatism is a political philosophy and a strain of conservatism in the United States stressing American nationalism, Christian ethics, regionalism, traditionalist conservatism, and non-interventionism. Paleoconservatism's concerns over ...
, and
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
, terms he uses interchangeably. Others describe him as right-wing,
alt-right The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...
,
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
, and
populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
. Asked about such labels, Jones said he is "proud to be listed as a thought criminal against Big Brother".


Early political activities

In 1998, he was removed from a
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
rally at Bayport Industrial District, Texas. Jones interrupted
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Bush's speech, demanding that the
Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of ...
and
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
be abolished. Journalist
David Weigel David Weigel (born September 26, 1981) is an American journalist and columnist at the news website Semafor (website), ''Semafor''. Weigel previously covered politics for ''The Washington Post,'' ''Slate (magazine), Slate,'' and ''Bloomberg Poli ...
, reporting on the incident, said Jones "seemed to launch into public events as if flung from another universe". In early 2000, Jones was one of seven Republican candidates for
state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
in Texas House District 48, an open
swing district A marginal seat or swing seat is a constituency held with a small majority in a legislative election, generally one conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada, they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat. The ...
based in Austin, Texas. Jones said that he was running "to be a watchdog on the inside" but withdrew from the race after a couple of weeks. On July 15, 2000, Jones infiltrated the
Bohemian Grove The Bohemian Grove is a restricted 2,700-acre (1,100-hectare) campground in Monte Rio, California. Founded in 1878, it belongs to a private gentlemen's club known as the Bohemian Club. In mid-July each year, the Bohemian Grove hosts a more than ...
'' Cremation of Care'', a Jones-alleged planning event of the New World Order involving child sacrifice, which he called "a ritualistic shedding of conscience and empathy" and an "abuse of power".Jones, Alex. ''Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove''. 2000. On June 8, 2006, while on his way to cover a meeting of the
Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg Meeting (also known as the "Bilderberg Group", "Bilderberg Conference" or "Bilderberg Club") is an annual off-the-record forum established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally ...
in Ottawa, Jones was stopped and detained at the Ottawa airport by Canadian authorities. They confiscated his passport, camera equipment, and most of his belongings. He was later allowed to enter Canada legally. Jones said about his immigration hold: "I want to say, on the record, it takes two to tango. I could have handled it better." On September 8, 2007, Jones was arrested while protesting at 6th Avenue and 48th Street in New York City, when his group crashed a live television show featuring
Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Rivera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, and political commentator who worked at the Fox News Channel from 2001 to 2023. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He g ...
. He was charged with operating a
megaphone A megaphone, speaking trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped horn (acoustic), acoustic horn used to amplifier, amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. ...
without a permit, and two other persons were also cited for disorderly conduct.


Gun rights

Jones is a vocal
gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, as well as ...
advocate.
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
labeled him a "staunch
Second Amendment The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
supporter", while ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' in London called him a "gun-nut". In January 2013, Jones was invited to speak on
Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; O'Meara, born 30 March 1965) is an English journalist and media personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, at the age of 29, he was appointed editor of ...
's CNN show after Jones promoted an online petition to deport Morgan for supporting gun control. In the ensuing debate with Morgan, Jones stated that "1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms". Jones was referring to the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
in relation to theoretical gun control measures taken by the government. Jones said he owned around 50 firearms. Morgan said on CNN's ''Newsroom'' the following evening he couldn't conceive of a "better advertisement for gun control than Alex Jones' interview last night". On his own show, according to ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'',
Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...
said Morgan "is trying to make everybody who has guns and who believes in the Second Amendment to be a deterrent to an out of control government look like a madman. So now he immediately books the madman and makes him look like a conservative." In a ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' magazine interview in November 2013, Jones said mass shootings in the United States "were very, very suspicious, but at minimum, the tragic events were used to try to create guilt on the part of the average gun owner. So via the guilt trip, they would accept their individual liberties curtailed." During an episode of his show ''InfoWars'' on May 24, 2022, Jones said concerning the
Robb Elementary School shooting The Uvalde school shooting was a mass shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers, while inju ...
: "I would predict a lot of mass shootings right before elections and like clockwork, it is happening. To me, it is just very opportunistic what is happening."


Other opinions

Jones is a proponent of the
New World Order conspiracy theory The New World Order (NWO) is a term often used in conspiracy theory, conspiracy theories which hypothesizes, hypothesize a secretly emerging totalitarian world government. The common theme in conspiracy theories about a New World Order is that ...
. In 2009, Jones claimed that a convicted con man's scheme to take over a long-vacant, would-be for-profit prison in
Hardin, Montana Hardin is a city in and the county seat of Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,818 at the 2020 census. It is located just north of the Crow Indian Reservation. History The city was named for Samuel Hardin, a friend ...
, was part of a
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
(FEMA) plot to detain US citizens in concentration camps, relating to said conspiracy theory.Alex Jones and the informational vacuum
, ''
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) is a progressive left-leaning media critique organization based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1986 by Jeff Cohen and Martin A. Lee. FAIR monitors American news media for bias, inaccur ...
'', Beau Hodai, February 1, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
In 2010, Jones produced and directed ''Police State 4: The Rise of FEMA'', a film he claimed "conclusively proves the existence of a secret network of FEMA camps" and that "The military-industrial complex is transforming our once free nation into a giant prison camp." In 2012, Jones linked to a story titled "List of All FEMA Concentration Camps in America Revealed" from the German
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
conspiracy website Disclose.tv. On June 9, 2013, Jones appeared as a guest on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's ''
Sunday Politics ''Daily Politics'' is a BBC Television programme which aired between 6 January 2003 and 24 July 2018, presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. ''Daily Politics'' took an in-depth review of the daily events in both Westminster and other areas ac ...
'', discussing conspiracy theories about the
Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg Meeting (also known as the "Bilderberg Group", "Bilderberg Conference" or "Bilderberg Club") is an annual off-the-record forum established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally ...
, with presenter
Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4. Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire ...
and journalist
David Aaronovitch David Morris Aaronovitch (born 8 July 1954) is an English journalist, television presenter and author. He was a regular columnist for ''The Times'' and the author of ''Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country'' (2000), ''Voodo ...
. Aaronovitch implied that, since Jones had not been killed for exposing conspiracies, they either do not exist or that Jones is a part of them himself. Jones began shouting and interrupting, and Neil ended the interview, describing Jones as "an idiot" and "the worst person I've ever interviewed". According to Neil on Twitter, Jones was still shouting until he knew that he was off-air. Jones was in a "media crossfire" in 2011, which included criticism by
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...
, when the news spread that
Jared Lee Loughner Jared Lee Loughner (; born September 10, 1988) is an American mass murderer who pleaded guilty to 19 charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with the January 8, 2011, Tucson shooting, in which he shot and severely injured U.S. Re ...
, the perpetrator of the
2011 Tucson shooting On January 8, 2011, United States Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, inclu ...
, had been "a fan" of the 9/11 conspiracy film ''
Loose Change ''Loose Change'' is a series of films released between 2005 and 2009 that argue in favor of certain conspiracy theories relating to the September 11 attacks. The films were written and directed by Dylan Avery and produced by Korey Rowe, Jason ...
'' of which Jones had been an executive producer. ''
Media Matters Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit left-leaning watchdog journalism organization. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Research Center. It seeks to ...
'' covered his claim that
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
players protesting during the national anthem were "kneeling to
white genocide The white genocide, white extinction, or white replacement conspiracy theory is a White nationalism, white nationalist conspiracy theory that claims there is a deliberate plot (often Antisemitic trope, blamed on Jews) to cause the extinction of ...
" and violence against whites, which the SPLC featured in their headlines review. His reporting and public views on the topic have received support and coverage from
white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...
publications and groups, such as the
AltRight Corporation The AltRight Corporation was an alt-right organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. It began operations in January 2017, and ran the website "altright.com". The site claimed to feature "the best writers and analysts" of the alt-right, and listed ...
and the
New Zealand National Front The New Zealand National Front was a small white nationalist organisation in New Zealand. History First formation in 1967 Mirroring developments in the UK, a group called the National Front evolved from the New Zealand branch of the League ...
. The Jones film '' Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement'' features the
Georgia Guidestones The Georgia Guidestones was a granite monument that stood in Elbert County, Georgia, United States, from 1980 to 2022. It was tall and made from six granite slabs weighing a total of . The structure was sometimes referred to as an "American St ...
, a 19-foot-high megalithic granite monument installed in Elberton in 1982, an attraction that drew 20,000 annual visitors. On July 7, 2022, the day they were dynamited by unknown saboteurs, his guest U.S. Representative
Marjorie Taylor Greene Marjorie Taylor Greene ( Taylor; born May 27, 1974), sometimes referred to by her initials MTG, is an American far-rightSources describing Greene as "far-right" include: * * * * * * * * * * * politician, businesswoman, and cons ...
said ecumenical texts inscribed on it represented a nefarious future of "population control" as envisioned by the "hard left". She added, "There is a war of good and evil going on, and people are done with globalism." Jones admitted to enjoying the destruction, "at an animal level", though he added he would also would have liked them to remain as an "evil edifice" exposing supposed depopulation plans. Jones has repeatedly made hateful comments towards the
LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...
and has associated the community with pedophilia. In 2010, he claimed: "The reason there's so many gay people now is because it's a chemical warfare operation, and I have the government documents where they said they're going to encourage homosexuality with chemicals so that people don't have children." In a 2013 interview on YouTube concerning
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, he ultimately blamed the "globalists" who "want to encourage the breakdown of the family, because the family is where people owe their allegiance" as a means "to get rid of God" by "taking the rights of an ancient, unified program of marriage and... are breaking it". He has claimed that the government is putting chemicals in water supplies to make people gay. In 2018, Jones threatened to come after
drag performers Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street a ...
with torches "like the villagers in the night". Leaked texts reported on by the SPLC in 2023 indicated that Jones privately held different views about sexuality than what he promoted on ''InfoWars'', with Jones and his second wife expressing positive views on
bisexuality Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, ...
in their messages. Jones believes that global warming is a hoax made up by the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
to control the world economy through a
carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions from producing goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the hidden Social cost of carbon, social costs of carbon emissions. They are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emis ...
. ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
'' paraphrased Jones as having claimed President Obama had "access to weather weapons capable of not only creating tornadoes but also moving them around, on demand". His belief in weather warfare has been reported by mainstream media. He has claimed that
Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...
may have been geo-engineered. Jones is a proponent of the conspiracy theory that
Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...
is
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
, with much of his apparent proof being pictures of Obama where it appears she has a bulge in her pants, and a video clip where
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
refers to somebody as "Michael". Jones has claimed that
the election ''The Election'' () is a political drama series produced by Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV). With a budget of HK$15 million, filming started in July 2014 and wrapped up on 28 October 2014. Popularly voted to be the inaugural drama of ...
of
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
is part of a plot by the
deep state Deep state is a term used for (real or imagined) potential, unauthorized and often secret networks of power operating independently of a State (polity), state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agendas and goals. Although the term ori ...
and the globalists to bring about "the takedown of America". In April 2017, Jones was criticized for claiming that the
Khan Shaykhun chemical attack The Khan Shaykhun chemical attack took place on 4 April 2017 on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. The town was reported to have been struck by an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemica ...
was a hoax and
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misrep ...
. Jones stated that the attack was potentially carried out by
civil defense Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...
group White Helmets, which he claimed are an
Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
-affiliated terrorist front financed by
George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...
. While Jones initially supported
QAnon QAnon ( ) is a far-right conspiracy theories in United States politics, American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals kno ...
,
Right Wing Watch People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...
reported that he had ceased to support QAnon by May 2018, declaring the source "completely compromised". In 2021, after the Capitol attack, Jones denounced believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory on ''InfoWars''. Jones is known for both his opposition to vaccines, and his views on
vaccine controversies Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal of vaccines despite availability and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain about their use, or using ce ...
. On June 16, 2017, '' Vox'' covered his claim that the introduction of the ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'' character
Julia Julia may refer to: People *Julia (given name), including a list of people with the name *Julia (surname), including a list of people with the name *Julia gens, a patrician family of Ancient Rome *Julia (clairvoyant) (fl. 1689), lady's maid of Qu ...
, an
autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential style of musical variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, the eponymous media franchise encompasse ...
, was "designed to normalize autism, a disorder caused by vaccines". On November 20, 2017, ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' quoted Jones as claiming ''InfoWars'' was "defending people's right to not be forcibly infected with vaccines". Critics argue that he endangers children "by convincing their parents that vaccines are dangerous". Jones has specifically disputed the safety and
effectiveness Effectiveness or effectivity is the capability of producing a desired result or the ability to produce desired output. When something is deemed effective, it means it has an intended or expected outcome, or produces a deep, vivid impression. Et ...
of
MMR vaccine The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles), abbreviated as ''MMR''. The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, w ...
s. In April 2022, Jones denied Russian war crimes by accusing the Ukrainians of staging the
Bucha massacre The Bucha massacre (; ) was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by the Russian Armed Forces during the fight for and occupation of the city of Bucha as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photographic and video ...
. In August 2024, Jones suggested he might relocate to Russia after
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
signed a decree offering sanctuary to those who shared traditional values.


Connections to Donald Trump


2016 presidential campaign

On December 2, 2015,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, then a presidential candidate, appeared on ''The Alex Jones Show'', with Trump stating to Jones at the end: "your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down. You'll be very, very impressed, I hope." During the broadcast, Jones compared Trump to
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
and said 90% of his listeners supported his candidacy. Jones and Trump both said the appearance was arranged by
Roger Stone Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American Political consulting, political consultant and lobbyist. He is Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser, best known for the Mueller special counsel investi ...
, who made multiple appearances on Jones' program during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
and
Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
were the only other significant politicians to appear on Jones' show in the preceding few years. Jones indicated his support for Trump during the presidential campaign. During his 2016 presidential campaign, via his Twitter account, Trump linked to ''InfoWars'' articles as sources for his claim "thousands and thousands" of Muslims celebrated 9/11 and the false assertion California was not suffering from a drought. A few days before one of Trump's August 2016 rallies, ''InfoWars'' published a video claiming Democratic candidate
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
had mental health issues, which Trump recycled in his campaign speech at the rally, according to '' Mother Jones''. Trump's claim the 2016 vote would be rigged, ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' reported, followed a Jones video making the same claim two days earlier. In one of her own speeches and video ads, Clinton criticized Trump for his ties to Jones. Jones ran a campaign attacking former president Bill Clinton as a rapist. He designed a T-shirt, ran another "get on MSM" competition and gate-crashed ''
The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (''TYT'') is an American progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program live streamed on social media platforms YouTube and Twitch, and additionally selected television channels. ''TYT'' se ...
'' set at the RNC, while displaying the T-shirt, resulting in a physical altercation with
Cenk Uygur Cenk Kadir Uygur ( ; ; born March 21, 1970) is a Turkish-American political commentator, media host, and attorney. He is the co-creator of ''The Young Turks'', a progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program. I ...
. Jones said Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were demons because they both smelt of sulfur, a claim supposedly based on assertions from people in contact with them. In late 2015, ''InfoWars'' began selling T-shirts with the slogan "Hillary for Prison". According to Jones, Trump called him on the day after the election to thank him for his help in the campaign.


Trump as president

In April 2018, Jones publicly criticized Trump during a
livestream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
, after Trump announced a
military strike In the military of the United States, strikes and raids are a group of military operations that, alongside quite a number of others, come under the formal umbrella of military operations other than war (MOOTW). What the definition of a military st ...
against Syria. During the stream, Jones also stated that Trump had not called him during the prior six months. A leaked interview of Jones in January 2019 expressing displeasure over his relationship with Trump was released by the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
in March 2021, with Jones stating "I wish I never would have fucking met Trump... I'm so sick of fucking Donald Trump, man. God, I'm fucking sick of him." Jones supported Trump during his re-election campaign in 2020 and called on demonstrations to be held on the premise the election had been "rigged" against Trump. After Trump recommended at an August 2021 rally that people choose to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Jones said that Trump was either lying or "not that bright" and "a dumbass". Numerous then-serving and former Trump advisers have appeared on Jones' show, including
Counselor to the President Counselor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States and senior members of the White House Office. The current officeholders are Alina Habba and Peter Navarro. The position should no ...
Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...
,
Senior Advisor to the President Senior Advisor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States. Senior advisors to the president do not have formal government decision making authority, but they can have significant infl ...
Stephen Miller, National Security Advisor
Michael Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born 24 December 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 24th U.S. national security advisor for the first 22 days of the first Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports tha ...
, and senior Trump campaign advisers Jason Miller and
Roger Stone Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American Political consulting, political consultant and lobbyist. He is Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser, best known for the Mueller special counsel investi ...
.


Events related to the January 6 Capitol attack

Jones partially funded and raised other funds to finance the
January 6 Trump rally On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...
in Washington, D.C., that preceded the 2021 United States Capitol attack. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported he assisted in raising at least $650,000 from Julie Fancelli, a
Publix Publix Super Markets, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Publix, is an employee ownership, employee-owned American supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a Privately h ...
grocery chain heiress who is a follower of ''InfoWars'', to finance Trump's rally on
the Ellipse The Ellipse, sometimes referred to as President's Park South, is a park south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. The Ellipse is also the name of the circumference ...
, including $200,000 of the total amount deposited in one of Jones' bank accounts. Jones attended the January 5 and 6 rallies at the capitol. On January 5, he was a scheduled speaker at the March to Save America and said, "We have only begun to resist the globalists. We have only begun our fight against their tyranny. They have tried to steal this election in front of everyone." Jones also stated that "I don't know how this is all going to end, but if they want to fight, they better believe they've got one", according to the same video. Jones called
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
a "slave of Satan" and said, "Whatever happens to President Trump in 15 days, he is still the elected president of this republic. And we do not recognize the Communist Chinese agent Joe Biden, or his controllers." The next day, Wednesday, January 6, at a gathering in Lafayette Park north of the Capitol, he addressed the crowd with a bullhorn, and stated that he had seen "over a hundred" members of antifa in the crowd, a baseless assertion other Trump supporters had also made, although the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
said there was no evidence of antifa involvement. The same day, a video of Jones was posted on ''InfoWars'', in which he is recorded saying "We declare 1776 against the new world order... We need to understand we're under attack, and we need to understand this is 21st-century warfare and get on a war-footing". In the same video, before setting off toward the Capitol building, Jones told the crowd: "We're here to take our rightful country back peacefully, because we're not globalist, antifa criminals. So let's start marching, and I salute you all." When rioters attacked the Capitol, Jones called on them to stop. "Let's not fight the police and give the system what they want", he said. In February 2021, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reported that the FBI was investigating any role Jones might have played in influencing the participation of
Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...
and
Oath Keepers Oath Keepers is an American far-right anti-government militia whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the government of the United States, including the transfer of presidential power as prescribed by the United States co ...
in the incursion. Jones had previously hosted leaders of the two groups on his programs. Some members of the groups had been indicted for conspiracy in the incident. On November 22, 2021, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Jones for testimony and documents by December 18 and 6, respectively. He had a virtual meeting with the committee by video link on January 24, 2022. By the estimate of his legal team, Jones said, he pleaded the Fifth Amendment 100 times and had been instructed to do so by his counsel. On August 5, 2022, during a defamation trial in Texas brought by Sandy Hook school shooting parents against Jones, a lawyer for the plaintiffs revealed that Jones' lawyer had inadvertently sent him two years of texts from Jones' phone. On August 8, the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack received those text messages; they had requested the information since Jones had helped organize a rally before the Capitol attack. Jones's lawyer, Norm Pattis, had also released confidential discovery items including Sandy Hook plaintiffs' medical records, and consequently, in January 2023, a judge suspended his law license. At the time of his license suspension, Pattis was part of the legal team defending Proud Boys leader
Joseph Biggs Joseph Randall Biggs (born ) is an American veteran, media personality, organizer of the Proud Boys, and convicted seditionist who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. After serving in the United States Army and sufferin ...
against charges of seditious conspiracy. On September 12, 2023, Owen Shroyer, an ''InfoWars'' co-host who accompanied Jones to the capital on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to thirty days in prison for violating an active order to stay away from the Capitol grounds. He had received the order after previously being arrested for causing a disturbance in another governmental building.


Litigation


Pizzagate conspiracy theory

In February 2017, James Alefantis, owner of
Comet Ping Pong Comet Ping Pong (often abbreviated as Comet) is a pizzeria, restaurant, and concert venue located on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C.'s Chevy Chase neighborhood. Owned by James Alefantis, Comet has received critical acclaim from ''The ...
pizzeria, sent Jones a letter demanding an apology and retraction of his advocacy for the
Pizzagate conspiracy theory "Pizzagate" is a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 United States presidential election cycle, falsely claiming that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had discovered a pedophilia ring linked to members of the Democra ...
. Jones was given one month to comply or be subject to a libel suit. In March 2017, Jones apologized to Alefantis and retracted his allegations.


Chobani yogurt company

In April 2017, the
Chobani Chobani is an American food company specializing in strained yogurt. The company was founded in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish businessman of Kurds, Kurdish origin. Chobani sells thick, Greek yogurt with a higher protein content than traditional ...
yogurt company sued Jones over his allegations that their
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
plant was involved in several
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
cases, and a
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
taking place the year prior. As a result, Jones issued an apology and retraction of his allegations in May 2017. However, while being deposed in the Texas defamation lawsuit filed by Sandy Hook parents, Jones reiterated many of his previous allegations against Chobani and its founder,
Hamdi Ulukaya Hamdi Ulukaya (born 26 October 1972) is a Turkish billionaire businessman, activist and philanthropist of Kurdish ethnicity based in the United States. He is the founder, owner, chairman, and chief executive officer of the strained yogurt bra ...
, indicating that he continues to espouse the false claims.


Charlottesville car attack

In March 2018, Brennan Gilmore, who shared a video he captured of a car hitting counter-protesters at the 2017
Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
, filed a lawsuit against Jones and six others. According to the lawsuit, Jones said that Gilmore was acting as part of a false flag operation conducted by disgruntled government "deep state" employees promoting a coup against Trump. Gilmore alleged he received
death threats A death threat is a threat, often made Anonymity, anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to Psychological manipulation, manipulat ...
from Jones's audience. In March 2022, Gilmore secured an admission of liability from Jones.


Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting

Jones has repeatedly spread disproven conspiracy theories about the 2012
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Newtown Public Schools, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. The victims were 20 children bet ...
, including claiming that it was a "false flag" operation perpetrated by gun control advocates, that "no one died" in Sandy Hook, and that the incident was "staged", "synthetic", "manufactured", "a giant hoax" and "completely fake with actors". Jones faced numerous defamation lawsuits due to these lies.


''Pozner and De La Rosa vs. Jones''

On April 16, 2018 Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, parents of victim Noah Pozner, filed a defamation suit against Jones, Infowars and Free Speech Systems in Travis County, Texas. Pozner, who has been forced to move several times to avoid harassment and death threats, was accused by Jones of being a
crisis actor A crisis actor (aka actor-patient or actor victim) is a trained actor, role player, volunteer, or other person engaged to portray a disaster victim during emergency drills to train first responders such as police, firefighters or EMS personne ...
.


''Heslin vs. Jones''

On April 16, 2018, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of victim Jesse Lewis, filed a defamation suit against Jones, Infowars and Free Speech Systems in Travis County, Texas. Jones was found to be in contempt of court even before the trial started as a result of his failure to produce witnesses and materials relevant to the procedures. Consequently, Jones and ''Infowars'' were fined a total of $126,000 in October and December 2019. On January 22, 2021, the
Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court o ...
threw out an appeal for dismissal by Jones of four defamation lawsuits from families of Sandy Hook victims. The court allowed the judgments of two lower courts to stand without comment, allowing the lawsuits to continue. On September 27, 2021, a district judge in Texas issued three
default judgment Default judgment is a binding judgment in favor of either party based on some failure to take action by the other party. Most often, it is a judgment in favor of a plaintiff when the defendant has not responded to a summons or has failed to app ...
s against Jones, requiring him to pay all damages in two lawsuits. These rulings came after Jones repeatedly failed to hand over documents and evidence as ordered by the court, which the judge characterized as "flagrant bad faith and callous disregard for the responsibilities of
discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...
under the rules". The jury trial began in Texas on July 25, 2022, where the plaintiffs' attorney said they would seek $150 million from the jury. Heslin testified on August 2 that conspiracy theorists, fueled by Jones' statements, fired into his house and car and subjected him and his family to harassment. He said Jones' failure to attend court during his testimony was a "cowardly act". While Heslin was testifying, Jones was broadcasting his show, calling Heslin "slow" and "manipulated by some very bad people". Jones subsequently arrived at court to present his testimony, first sitting through that of Jesse's mother Scarlett Lewis. Lewis said, "Alex, I want you to hear this. We're more polarized than ever as a country. Some of that is because of you." She asked Jones: "Do you think I'm an actor?" Jones responded, "No, I don't think you're an actor." As the only person testifying in his defense, Jones admitted the Sandy Hook shooting was "100% real", and agreed with his own attorney that it was "absolutely irresponsible" to push falsehoods about the shooting and its victims. Jones testified that he had complied with court orders in defamation suits and is bankrupt. On August 3, cross-examination revealed that Jones had not fully complied with court orders to provide text messages and emails for pretrial evidence gathering. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of Travis County District Court admonished him for lying under oath, as his failure to comply with court orders was the reason he lost the defamation suits, and that bankruptcy proceedings had yet to be adjudicated. Gamble said, "You're under oath. That means things must actually be true when you say them." After the judge left the courtroom, Jones said Lewis and Heslin were being "controlled". While the jury deliberated the amount of compensatory damages, Jones was claiming on his radio show that the proceedings were "an incredible spectacle" backed by globalists trying to shut him down. On August 4, 2022, the jury ordered Jones pay Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, and the following day, he was ordered to pay an additional $45.2 million in punitive damages. On November 22, 2022, a judge ruled that Jones must pay the full amount of the punitive damages, even though this amount exceeds a cap under Texas law. (Jones' attorneys had estimated the punitive damages award would be reduced to $1.5 million, while the plaintiffs' attorneys had expected it to be reduced to $4.5 million.) On November 22, 2022, Judge Gamble ruled that the punitive damages cap did not apply in this case due to the rare and egregious nature of the harm. She also questioned the constitutionality of the damages cap in general. On April 25, 2023, Judge Gamble ordered Jones's attorney, Andino Reynal, to pay $97,169 to Heslin and Lewis for his bad-faith attempts to delay the trial, with a contingency fee of $55,000 should Reynal appeal and lose, and $61,600 if he appeals to the Texas Supreme Court and loses.


''Lafferty et al. vs. Jones''

On June 26, 2018, seven families of victims and an FBI agent who responded to the attack filed a defamation lawsuit in Connecticut Superior Court against Jones, Infowars, Free Speech Systems, Infowars Health and others for spreading false claims, resulting in the harassment, stalking and threatening of the plaintiffs. By February 2019, the plaintiffs won a series of court rulings requiring Jones to testify under oath. Jones was later ordered to undergo a sworn deposition, along with three other defendants related to the operation of Infowars. He was also ordered to turn over internal business documents related to Infowars. In this deposition in the last week of March 2019, Jones acknowledged the deaths were real, stating he had "almost like a form of psychosis", where he "basically thought everything was staged". On March 25, 2019, Jeremy Richman, one of the plaintiffs, whose daughter Avielle was killed, committed suicide. Jones, through his lawyer, offered condolences to Richman's family, but later that day on his show suggested that Richman had been murdered and that his death had something to do with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference. On April 5, 2021, the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
declined to hear an appeal by Jones against a court sanction in the lawsuit. On November 15, 2021, the judge found Jones liable by default for defamation, for "willful non-compliance" in failing to turn over documents to the families in line with court orders. On March 29, 2022, Jones offered a settlement of $120,000 to each of the thirteen people involved in the lawsuits, which was quickly rejected. On June 2, 2022, Jones's attorneys asked the judge to drop them from the case. The judge said she had heard this before, citing thirteen times in the past four years when Jones' attorneys asked to replace each other or be dropped from the case. She ordered them to continue to represent Jones until she ruled on the motion on June 15. On October 12, 2022, the jury awarded $965 million to be shared by 15 plaintiffs (eight families and one first responder). The plaintiffs' individual awards ranged from $28.8 million to $120 million. During the trial, the families testified that they had been threatened and harassed over years due to Jones' falsehoods. Jones reacted live to the verdict on his show, mocking it: "Do these people actually think they're getting any money?" He implored his viewers to donate to him to "appeal", and also declared that the jury's verdict was an attempt to "scare us away from questioning" school shootings such as the
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, part of the Miami metropolitan area, Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 18 ot ...
and the
Robb Elementary School shooting The Uvalde school shooting was a mass shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers, while inju ...
, but "we're not going to stop". On November 10, 2022, the judge awarded the plaintiffs a further $473 million in punitive damages in the form of lawyers' fees, bringing the total to over $1.4 billion. The judge also issued an order that Jones was "not to transfer, encumber, dispose or move his assets out of the United States until further order of the court". Jones moved for a new trial, but on December 22, 2022, the judge denied his request. By the end of the summer of 2023, Jones had paid nothing to the families. On December 6, 2024, the
Connecticut Appellate Court The Connecticut Appellate Court is the court of first appeals for all cases arising from the Connecticut Superior Courts. Its creation in 1983 required Connecticut's voters and legislature to amend the state's constitution A constitution i ...
reduced the total Jones owed to about $1.2 billion. It did this by affirming the jury's $965 million verdict while saying that Jones would not have to pay the $150 million in punitive damages that the lower court had awarded the plaintiffs. Jones sought to appeal to the state's Supreme Court, but on April 8, 2025 it declined to hear his appeal.


''Sherlach vs. Jones''

On July 24, 2018, William Sherlach, husband of victim and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, filed a defamation lawsuit in Connecticut Superior Court against Jones, Infowars, Free Speech Systems and Infowars Health. Sherlach's lawsuit was consolidated into the ''Lafferty et al. vs. Jones'' lawsuit for the Connecticut trial.


Attempts to protect assets

Numerous media sources have raised questions on how much Jones really owns and hides in assets. On April 6, 2022, according to the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
and ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'', a lawsuit was filed in Austin, Texas, by some of the Sandy Hook families accusing Jones of hiding assets worth millions of dollars after he began being sued for defamation by the families of Sandy Hook victims. The suit claims Jones "conspired to divert his assets to shell companies owned by insiders like his parents, his children, and himself". The lawsuit alleges Jones drew $18 million from the Infowars company beginning in 2018 and accuses Jones of claiming a "dubious" $54 million debt at about the same time to another company alleged by the lawsuit to be also owned by Jones. Norm Pattis, an attorney for Jones, said the lawsuit was "ridiculous" and denied that there had been any attempt to conceal assets.


Bankruptcies

On April 17, 2022, three companies owned by Jones filed for
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, suspending further civil litigation claims, as the families had sued Jones as well as his companies. The three companies affected were InfoW, Prison Planet TV, and IWHealth (or Infowars Health). The court filings estimated ''InfoWars'' assets at between $0–$50,000, but its liabilities (including from the damages awarded against Jones in defamation suits) were stated as being between $1 million and $10 million. Regarding why Jones did not personally file for bankruptcy, his representative stated, "It would ruin his name and harm his ability to sell merchandise." and "Putting him in bankruptcy would harm his trademark value in terms of cashflow." A lawyer for the families involved in a Connecticut lawsuit against Jones responded, "Alex Jones is just delaying the inevitable: a public trial in which he will be held accountable for his profit-driven campaign of lies against the Sandy Hook families who have brought this lawsuit." On June 10, 2022, a federal judge in Texas dismissed the bankruptcy protection case after Jones and the families agreed that the three companies would be dropped from the defamation lawsuits against Jones, allowing them to continue in Texas and Connecticut. On July 29, 2022, the parent company of ''InfoWars'', Free Speech Systems, LLC, filed for bankruptcy. In response to the Connecticut legal settlement made against him, Jones had previously claimed assets of $6.2 million in January 2022. On December 2, 2022, Jones filed for Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas, claiming that his assets were between $1 million and $10 million, while his debts were between $1 billion and $10 billion. He also claimed that he had 50 to 99
creditors A creditor or lender is a Party (law), party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided ...
, and in February 2023, that the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
intended to seize his pet cat, valued at $2,000, to pay debts owed to the Sandy Hook families. On October 19, 2023, a Texas bankruptcy judge ruled that Jones cannot rely on bankruptcy protection to avoid paying the $1.5 billion he owes to the Sandy Hook families as a result of the Connecticut lawsuit. It remained unclear whether he would be able to reduce the amount of punitive damages in the Texas case. In November 2023, the Sandy Hook families offered a settlement in which Jones would pay $85 million over 10 years (about 6 percent of what he had been court-ordered to pay). The offer was filed within Jones's personal bankruptcy case. The following month, Jones countered with an offer of $55 million over 10 years. In February 2024, Jones's general unsecured creditors (mostly Sandy Hook families) voted in favor of a Chapter 11 plan that would liquidate and redistribute his assets. Appearing emotional and defiant, on June 1, 2024, Jones said on his program, "At the end of the day, we're going to beat these people. I'm not trying to be dramatic here, but it's been a hard fight. These people hate our children." The next day, the families filed an emergency motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston, asking the judge to liquidate Alex Jones's company rather than allow him to reorganize it. The court filing said Jones has "failed to demonstrate any hope of beginning to satisfy" their claims. On June 6, Jones's attorneys filed a motion to convert his bankruptcy to Chapter 7 status, which would lead to liquidation of his personal assets, including his stake in ''InfoWars'', which was agreed to by the plaintiffs the following day. On June 14, the judge approved the Chapter 7 liquidation. On June 24, the court-appointed trustee public revealed that he planned to shut down ''InfoWars''. On September 24, the judge approved the sale of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of ''InfoWars''. The auction was scheduled for November 13.


Stoneman Douglas High School shooting

Jones spread discredited conspiracy theories about the 2018
Parkland high school shooting On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, part of the Miami metropolitan area, Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 18 ot ...
. He stated survivor
David Hogg David Miles Hogg (born April 12, 2000) is an American gun violence in the United States, gun control activist who served as a co-vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from February to June 2025. He rose to prominence during the 2018 ...
was a crisis actor. Marcel Fontaine sued Jones on April 2, 2018, after ''InfoWars'' falsely identified him as the gunman and posted photos of him in several versions of an article on the ''InfoWars'' website about the massacre. The lawsuit was filed in Texas court naming Jones, ''InfoWars'', parent company Free Speech Systems, LLC and ''Infowars'' employee Kit Daniels as defendants. Fontaine's lawsuit was the first one against Jones that involved his defamatory statements about mass school shootings. One of his lawyers stated that "Marcel Fontaine is the only reason why we filed the first Sandy Hook case", because after Fontaine's suit was filed, the families of two boys slain in the Sandy Hook shooting contacted his law firm about also suing Jones. Fontaine died in an apartment building fire in Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 14, 2022.


Personal life

Jones has three children with his former wife Kelly Jones (née Nichols). The couple divorced in March 2015. In 2017, Kelly sought sole or joint custody of their children due to her ex-husband's behavior. She asserted that "he's not a stable person" and she was "concerned that he is engaged in felonious behavior, threatening a member of Congress nowiki/>Adam Schiff">Adam_Schiff.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Adam Schiff">nowiki/>Adam Schiff" His attorney responded by claiming that "he's playing a character" and describing him as a "performance artist". On his show, Jones denied playing a character and he called his show "the most bona fide, hard-core, real McCoy "The real McCoy" is an idiom and metaphor used in much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article", e.g. "he's the real McCoy". The phrase has been the subject of numerous false etymologies. History The ph ...
thing there is, and everybody knows it"; whereas in court, Jones clarified that he generally agreed with his attorney's statement, but that he disagreed with the media's interpretation of the term "performance artist". Kelly was awarded the right to decide where their children live while he maintains visitation rights. In April 2020, a state district judge denied an emergency motion by Kelly to secure custody of their daughters for the next two weeks after Jones led a rally at the Capitol, where he was mobbed by supporters and called COVID-19 a hoax. In 2023, after a 2008 audioclip of Jones berating his then wife was obtained by the ''Daily Mail">COVID-19 misinformation">called COVID-19 a hoax. In 2023, after a 2008 audioclip of Jones berating his then wife was obtained by the ''Daily Mail'', Kelly claimed that Jones was "a total racist" regarding her Jewish heritage, claiming that her genes were "flawed." His son, Rex Jones, has worked for ''InfoWars''. His father, David Jones, is involved in ''InfoWars'''s business, and previously handled human resources tasks for his son, according to his testimony in a deposition. Jones married Erika Wulff in 2017; they have one child. In February 2023, the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
(SPLC) reported on text messages that appeared to corroborate a September 2022 ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' story reporting that Jones may have spied on Wulff in 2019. In the texts reviewed by the SPLC, Jones told his security employee to monitor Wulff, expressing concern that she was cheating on him. During Jones' 2017 custody trial, Dr. Alissa Sherry, the case manager for his family therapy sessions, testified that he had been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.


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Television


Author

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Video games

* Alex Jones: NWO Wars


Notes


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External links

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Alex Jones
on Gab * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Alex 1974 births 9/11 conspiracy theorists Alt-right activists Alt-right writers American anti-vaccination activists American conspiracy theorists American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Scottish descent American political commentators American political podcasters American talk radio hosts COVID-19 conspiracy theorists Infowars people Internet memes Living people People with narcissistic personality disorder Moon landing conspiracy theorists People from Rockwall, Texas Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack Radio personalities from Dallas Right-wing populists in the United States Texas Republicans American radio show creators