Why Does Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Propagate?

Alex Jones, a right-wing American radio host and conspiracy theorist, began his career in public access broadcasting in Austin, Texas, in the 1990s. He spread lies about the Sandy Hook school shooting and was ordered to pay over $45 million in damages to Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of a child killed in the shooting. A Texas jury has ordered Jones to pay $45.2 million for his falsehoods.

Jones’ Infowars media company and its assets will be sold off piece by piece in auctions this fall to help pay the more than $1 billion owed to Sandy Hook families. Jones has pushed many theories over the last three decades, including that the U.S. government was behind or failed to stop the shooting.

After years of public pressure, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company, Infowars, faced consequences in court for spreading viral lies. Jones’ money went to fight fraud, not to the people who claimed the shooting. After years of public pressure, Jones was largely barred from the world’s largest social media platforms.

Despite being publicly debunked, Jones continues to hold a significant place in the lives of many. Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed spent four years following the circus created by the right-wing TV host after he claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting. The award is the largest the Texas conspiracy theorist has been ordered to pay as part of three defamation lawsuits against him for falsely claiming the shooting.