Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones Infowars broadcasts could end next week as he faces a court-ordered auction of his company’s assets to help pay over $1 billion defamation verdict he owes it to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Or maybe not.

Both opponents and supporters of the bombastic Internet show and radio host have expressed interest in auctioning off the Infowars properties he has built up over the past 25 years. These include Roger Stonean ally of Jones and Donald Trump and anti-Jones progressive media groups. If Jones’ backers buy the assets, they could end up staying on Infowars.

Everything from Jones’ office to the Infowars name, video archive, social media accounts and product trademarks are up for sale. Buyers can even purchase an armored truck and video cameras. For now, Jones’ personal social networks, including his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, with 3 million followers, are not up for sale, but legal proceedings over whether they should be auctioned are ongoing.

The auctions resulted because of Jones case of personal bankruptcywhich he filed in late 2022 after Sandy Hook families were awarded nearly $1.5 billion in damages in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas over his cause. claims the school shooting was a hoax. Many of Jones’ personal assets are also being liquidated to help pay the judgment.

The deadline for submissions and non-disclosure agreements on Infowars assets is Friday afternoon. After the bids are reviewed, potential buyers deemed qualified will be invited to a live auction that could have multiple rounds of bidding next Wednesday. Any unsold items will be auctioned off on December 10th.

Jones expressed confidence that backers — whom he did not name — would buy the assets of Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, allowing it to continue using its platforms. It also seems to be bracing itself for the loss of the brand as it has created new websites and social media accounts and directed its audience to them.

“There are a lot of buyers, people who are patriots who will and will come,” Jones said on his August show. “If not … we’ll work with someone else, give something. And there will be a bit of a hiccup for the crew and stuff. But that will only make us bigger.”

Email messages to Infowars and Jones’ bankruptcy attorney were not returned.

It’s unclear how much money the auctions could bring. In court documents, Free Speech Systems listed the total value of its properties and holdings at $18 million. Proceeds from the sales will go to creditors, including the Sandy Hook families, who have yet to receive money from Jones and his company.

Confidentiality agreements and sealed bids are generally used in auctions to maximize bids while preventing bidders from talking to each other and lowering bids. Jones’ bankruptcy trustee said in court documents that the procedures for the Infowars auction were designed to attract the highest possible bids.

Christopher Mattei, a Connecticut attorney representing Sandy Hook families, called the auctions an important milestone in their years-long fight to hold Jones accountable. He also said the families would seek a share of Jones’ future earnings.

“From the beginning, Connecticut families sought to hold Jones fully accountable for his lies and protect other families from him,” Mattei said. “Removing Jones from the corrupt business he used to prey on families while poisoning the minds of his listeners is an important measure of justice.”

The families sued Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn. was a hoax staged by crisis actors to push for more gun control.

The parents and children of many of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ hoax conspiracies and the threats of his followers.

Jones, who has since admitted the shooting took place, is appealing the rulings.

Jones has earned millions of dollars from his radio and Internet shows, primarily through sales of nutritional supplements, survival gear, clothing and other merchandise.

Stone, an ally of Jones and Trump and a conservative commentator, said on his X account and on Jones’ show that he would like to put together an investor group to buy Infowars. He did not return emails and social media messages Thursday.

“I understand the importance of Infowars as a beacon of truth, as a beacon of truthful information. And so I would like to do everything I can to make sure, if possible, that Infowars survives,” Stone said on Jones’ show in September.

People on social media have also urged billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and X, to buy Infowars, an idea that Jones has supported, but Musk has not responded publicly.

Jones’ detractors, on the other hand, have shown interest in buying Infowars, firing it, and turning it into something else, such as a news site debunking conspiracy theories or even a parody site. They include officials from two progressive media sites, The Barbed Wire and Media Matters for America.

A Sept. Barbed Wire op-ed by editor Jeff Rotkoff had a headline that read, “Let’s buy Infowars. Alex Jones used these exact materials to exploit his viewers, peddle conspiracy theories and harm the lives of grieving parents. We want revenge. .”

Rotkoff urged readers to donate money to help submit bids, but he said Thursday that The Barbed Wire, based in Jones’ home state of Texas, is unlikely to make any bids now.

“But we have spoken with a number of similarly ideologically aligned bidders and we are confident we will outbid,” Rotkoff said in an email. “We are pleased that there appear to be several well-endowed bidders who share our interest in repairing much of the damage done to our country by Alex Jones. We will support these people to succeed.”

He declined to say who the other potential bidders are.

Who exactly has submitted bids so far has not been disclosed. Jeff Tanenbaum, president of ThreeSixty Asset Advisors, which is helping run the auction along with Tranzon Asset Advisors, would only say there were a lot of questions.

If detractors buy the Infowars properties and Jones gets the backing, they should be able to build new platforms fairly quickly, said Melissa Zimdars, associate professor of communication and media at Merrimack College in Massachusetts.

“As long as there’s an audience hungry for his content — and there is — he’ll be able to use X and various fringe social media platforms,” ​​she said in an email.