5 things to know about Alex Jones after CT jury awards Sandy Hook families nearly $1 billion

A Connecticut jury Wednesday awarded eight families of Sandy Hook victims and one former FBI agent nearly $1 billion in damages from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for lies he spread that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax and the families were actors. The shooting claimed the lives of six adults and 20 children aged 6 and 7 on Dec. 14, 2012. Jones has pushed baseless conspiracy theories about the shooting for nearly a decade and must now pay for those lies. 

Jones livestreamed the reading of the verdict during his Infowars show. He continued to mock the trial, remarking he was “happy to be here…laughing at this” and used the verdict to solicit donations to his company, saying “your pennies counter their millions.” Here are five things to about Jones

Who is Alex Jones?

Alex Jones is a 48-year-old, right-wing conspiracy theorist who has amassed millions of dollars and followers by using conspiracy theories and vague, inflammatory language to drive viewers to his online store where they can purchase products to fend off some manufactured hysteria. Jones got his start in Austin, Texas on public access shows in 1990s where he spewed conspiracy theories, including the 1993 Waco, Texas siege. That led to a talk radio gig he was ultimately fired from when conspiracy theories got too big.  Jones began broadcasting from home and distributing through Genesis Communications Network while still appearing on public access. He became an early adopter of blog and vlog platforms and before the sun had set on Sept. 11, 2001, he was accusing the federal government of being responsible for the tragedy. Jones leaned into conspiracy theories and was soon producing films about those theories, while building a personal brand promising his audience he was the only one they could trust. Jones uses visual styles and sets similar to television news programs to create the appearance of journalism. Corporate representative testified Jones has said internally that his company is not a news organization.

Jones got his start in the same ‘Keep Austin Weird’ scene that produced Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater

Director Robert Rodriguez went to St. Anthony High School in San Antonio. 

Rick Kern/WireImage

Jones isn’t the only marquee name to emerge from Channel Austin, the public access network where he first began peddling falsehoods. Richard Linklater, the celebrated writer/director behind groundbreaking films like “Boyhood” and “Waking Life” also got his start at Channel Austin. Robert Rodriguez, who broke out in the mid-90s with action films like “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Desperado” before venturing into more family friendly movies like the “Spy Kids” franchise also started there. He even borrowed equipment from the station to film “El Mariachi,” the film that got him his start and would eventually be remade into “Desperado.” Jones became such an integral part of the burgeoning “Keep Austin Weird” scene that the Austin Chronicle voted him “Best Looking Crank” and best talk radio host. At the time, Jones wasn’t necessarily politically aligned, but pushed anti-government theories. He was a staunch critic of George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas and again as president.

Infowars lies have led to real-world violence

A QAnon supporter attends a pro-Trump rally hosted by Long Island and New York City police unions in support of the police on October 4, 2020 in Suffolk County, New York. The sign’s hashtag refers to the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which claimed leaked private emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta revealed an elaborate web of secret sex trafficking. They didn’t.

Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

The lies and conspiracy theories Jones supports haven’t been relegated to harmless pontification. Aside from the decade of harassment and threats Sandy Hook families have received, Jones’s other lies have led to people carrying out — or wishing to carry out — acts of violence. In 2002, a 38-year-old former Marine who developed a superhero alter ego called the Phantom Patriot armed himself with a sword, shotgun, pistol and more weapons to invade the Bohemian Grove campground near San Francisco. The man believed it was the site of ritualistic child sacrifices because Jones made a documentary about it. No one was killed, but the man burned down a banquet hall and had an armed conflict with a caretaker. Before heading to San Francisco from Austin, the man said he stopped by Jones’ studio and talked with him about the alleged sacrifices occurring at the campground. Years later, another Jones-spread lie with a similar feel led to more violence. In 2016, a man armed with an AR 15-style rifle entered a Washington, D.C. pizzeria and fired three shots. The man had heard Democrat officials, including Hillary Clinton, were operating a child sex trafficking ring and engaging in ritualistic sacrifice in the pizzeria’s basement. The pizzeria doesn’t have a basement.

Jones, accused of using Sandy Hook lies for profit, uses Sandy Hook trial for profit A photograph from evidence, showing Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis, that was posted on one of Infowars’ websites is displayed on a video screen during the Alex Jones Sandy Hook defamation damages trial in Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut, Friday, September 16, 2022. H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media.H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media

Alex Jones has maintained his news operation is separate from his online store. However, corporate representative Brittany Paz testified that the purpose of any content Jones and Infowars creates has the express purpose of driving traffic to the store. As the trial progresses, Jones has used it to plead for support from his audience and has created advertisements using clips of his own testimony to solicit cryptocurrency donations that go directly to his personal account.

Leaning right Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, left, and radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, right, enter the House Judiciary Committee hearing room to hear testimony by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)J. Scott Applewhite

Conspiracy theories surrounding illegal immigrants, the Clinton and Obama families, and more fueled a red wave that lifted both Jones and Donald Trump’s clout ahead of the 2016 election. Prior to the 2016 election, Jones had been mostly egalitarian when it came to his anti-government conspiracy theories. But during the lead-up to the 2016 Presidential Election, CNN reported Jones was introduced to Trump ally Roger Stone, who in turn linked Jones and Trump. Both men had a history of disregarding truth for gain, and Jones celebrated Trump as a guest on his show.

“The Trump-Jones union was mutually beneficial. For Jones, it was an opportunity to attach himself to a star with mainstream appeal. For Trump, the Infowars audience offered up a large, untapped reservoir of potential votes,” CNN reported.

Jones leaned into leaning right. By the time Trump’s presidency came to an end, Jones was a staunch ally and many of the once far-out conspiracy theories he pushed — like misinformation about the LGBTQ community — became Republican platforms many nominees in the 2022 election style are campaigning on. GOP nominee for the Michigan Governorship Scott Jensen only days ago attempted to further the debunked notion that children who identified as cats were using litter boxes in school. Additionally, a number of candidates for positions that would have them overseeing state elections are believers of the lie the Donald Trump is the true winner of the 2020 presidential race. Jones pushed the “Stop the Steal” campaign in the lead up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and Jones plead the Fifth Amendment during his deposition with the committee investigating the insurrection. Cellphone records of Jones unearthed during his trial with Sandy Hook parents in Texas were turned over to the Jan. 6 committee.