Major Controversies Surrounding Alex Jones: A Detailed Timeline

Public opinion and media debates around Alex Jones—discover key moments of controversy.

Alex Jones is an American far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist. He is the host of The Alex Jones Show and founder of InfoWars and Banned.Video, platforms known for promoting conspiracy theories and fake news. Jones has gained notoriety for his controversial views and dissemination of misinformation.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1969: Jones Alleges Moon Landing Falsified

In 1969, among many other conspiracy theories, Jones has alleged that the United States government either concealed information about or outright falsified the 1969 Moon landing.

1993: Jones Advocates for Branch Davidians

In 1993, Jones claimed that David Koresh and his followers were peaceful people who were murdered by Attorney General Janet Reno and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms during the siege.

April 19, 1995: Oklahoma City Bombing Spurs Accusations

On April 19, 1995, after the Oklahoma City bombing, Jones began accusing the federal government of having caused it.

1998: Removed from George W. Bush Rally

In 1998, Alex Jones was removed from a George W. Bush rally at Bayport Industrial District, Texas, after he interrupted Bush's speech and demanded that the Federal Reserve and Council on Foreign Relations be abolished.

July 15, 2000: Infiltrates Bohemian Grove Cremation of Care

On July 15, 2000, Alex Jones infiltrated the Bohemian Grove Cremation of Care, which he described as a planning event of the New World Order involving child sacrifice.

July 2000: ACAC Radio Hosts Claim Jones Intimidated Them

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.

June 8, 2006: Detained in Ottawa

On June 8, 2006, Alex Jones was stopped and detained at the Ottawa airport by Canadian authorities while on his way to cover a Bilderberg Group meeting. His passport, camera equipment, and most of his belongings were confiscated, though he was later allowed to enter Canada legally.

September 8, 2007: Arrested in New York City

On September 8, 2007, Alex Jones was arrested while protesting in New York City, after his group disrupted a live television show featuring Geraldo Rivera. He was charged with operating a megaphone without a permit.

2009: Claims about FEMA plot

In 2009, Alex Jones claimed that a convicted con man's scheme to take over a vacant prison in Hardin, Montana, was part of a FEMA plot to detain US citizens in concentration camps, relating to the New World Order conspiracy theory.

2010: Claims about homosexuality and chemical warfare

In 2010, Alex Jones claimed that "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."

2011: Criticism after Tucson Shooting

In 2011, Alex Jones was in a "media crossfire" after it was reported that Jared Lee Loughner, the perpetrator of the 2011 Tucson shooting, was a fan of the 9/11 conspiracy film Loose Change, of which Jones had been an executive producer.

2012: Links to FEMA Concentration Camps list

In 2012, Alex Jones linked to a story titled "List of All FEMA Concentration Camps in America Revealed" from the German UFO conspiracy website Disclose.tv.

2012: Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theories

In 2012, Alex Jones spread disproven conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, claiming it was a "false flag" operation.

January 2013: Debate with Piers Morgan on CNN

In January 2013, Alex Jones appeared on Piers Morgan's CNN show to debate gun control after Jones promoted a petition to deport Morgan. During the debate, Jones stated that "1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms".

June 9, 2013: Appearance on BBC's Sunday Politics

On June 9, 2013, Alex Jones appeared on the BBC's Sunday Politics, discussing conspiracy theories about the Bilderberg Group. Presenter Andrew Neil ended the interview, calling Jones "an idiot" and "the worst person I've ever interviewed".

November 2013: Comments on mass shootings

In a November 2013 interview with New York magazine, Alex Jones stated that 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."

2013: Comments on same-sex marriage

In a 2013 interview on YouTube, Alex Jones blamed "globalists" for wanting to encourage the breakdown of the family and for taking the rights of marriage as a means to "get rid of God". He also claimed that the government is putting chemicals in water supplies to make people gay.

2015: Attacks against Bill Clinton and Hillary for Prison T-shirts

In 2015, Alex Jones ran a campaign attacking former president Bill Clinton as a rapist and InfoWars began selling T-shirts with the slogan "Hillary for Prison".

February 2017: Demand for apology from James Alefantis

In February 2017, James Alefantis, owner of Comet Ping Pong pizzeria, sent Alex Jones a letter demanding an apology and retraction of his advocacy for the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

March 2017: Apology to James Alefantis

In March 2017, Alex Jones apologized to James Alefantis and retracted his allegations regarding the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

April 2017: Claims about Khan Shaykhun chemical attack

In April 2017, Alex Jones was criticized for claiming that the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack was a hoax and false flag. Jones stated that the attack was potentially carried out by civil defense group White Helmets, which he claimed are an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist front financed by George Soros.

April 2017: Lawsuit from Chobani

In April 2017, the Chobani yogurt company sued Alex Jones over his allegations that their Idaho plant was involved in several tuberculosis cases, and a sexual assault taking place the year prior.

May 2017: Apology to Chobani

In May 2017, Alex Jones issued an apology and retraction of his allegations against the Chobani yogurt company.

June 16, 2017: Claim about Sesame Street character Julia

On June 16, 2017, Alex Jones claimed that the introduction of Julia, an autistic Muppet on Sesame Street, was "designed to normalize autism, a disorder caused by vaccines".

August 2017: Labdoor Reported on Tests Applied to Jones's Dietary Supplement Products

In August 2017, Californian medical company Labdoor, Inc reported on tests applied to six of Jones's dietary supplement products.

November 20, 2017: InfoWars defending right to refuse vaccines

On November 20, 2017, Alex Jones claimed that InfoWars was "defending people's right to not be forcibly infected with vaccines".

2017: Unite the Right rally video

In 2017, Brennan Gilmore captured a video of a car hitting counter-protesters at the Unite the Right rally, which led to a lawsuit against Jones.

2017: Oliver States Jones Spends Nearly a Quarter of His On-Air Time Promoting Products

On a 2017 segment of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver 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.

2017: Research Determined That Products Sold by Jones Contained Lead

Research commissioned in 2017 by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) determined that two products sold by Jones contained potentially dangerous levels of the heavy metal lead.

February 2018: YouTube Issued Strike Against InfoWars Channel

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".

March 2018: Brennan Gilmore lawsuit

In March 2018, Brennan Gilmore filed a lawsuit against Alex Jones, alleging Jones said Gilmore was acting as part of a false flag operation.

April 2018: Criticism of President Trump

In April 2018, Alex Jones publicly criticized President Trump during a livestream, after Trump announced a military strike against Syria. Jones also stated that Trump had not called him during the prior six months.

April 16, 2018: Defamation suit filed by Sandy Hook parents

On April 16, 2018, Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, parents of Sandy Hook victim Noah Pozner, filed a defamation suit against Jones, Infowars and Free Speech Systems.

May 2018: Ceases support for QAnon

By May 2018, Alex Jones had ceased to support QAnon, declaring the source "completely compromised".

June 26, 2018: Defamation lawsuit filed in Connecticut

On June 26, 2018, seven families of victims and an FBI agent filed a defamation lawsuit in Connecticut Superior Court against Jones and others for spreading false claims about the Sandy Hook shooting.

July 24, 2018: YouTube Removed InfoWars Videos and Suspended Live Streaming

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.

July 27, 2018: Facebook Suspended Jones's Profile

On July 27, 2018, Facebook suspended Alex Jones's profile for 30 days and removed the same videos that YouTube removed.

August 3, 2018: Stitcher Radio Removed All of Jones's Podcasts

On August 3, 2018, Stitcher Radio removed all of Alex Jones's podcasts, citing harassment.

August 6, 2018: Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify Removed Content by Jones and InfoWars

On August 6, 2018, Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify removed all content by Jones and InfoWars for policy violations.

August 13, 2018: Vimeo removes Jones' videos

On August 13, 2018, Vimeo removed all of Alex Jones's videos due to violations of policies against discriminatory and hateful content.

August 2018: Twitter suspends Jones for violent rhetoric

In August 2018, Alex Jones's Twitter account was suspended for a week after he tweeted a Periscope video calling on others to get their "battle rifles" ready against antifa, the mainstream media, and Chicom operatives. Twitter cited the video as the reason for the suspension.

August 2018: Suspension from Twitter

In August 2018, Alex Jones's accounts were removed from Pinterest, Mailchimp, and LinkedIn. He retained accounts on Instagram, Google+, and Twitter, but was suspended from Twitter for a week after tweeting a Periscope video calling on others to get their "battle rifles" ready against antifa, the mainstream media, and Chicom operatives. The video was cited as the reason for the suspension.

September 7, 2018: InfoWars app removed from Apple App Store

On September 7, 2018, the InfoWars app was removed from the Apple App Store due to "objectionable content."

2018: Threats against drag performers

In 2018, Alex Jones threatened to come after drag performers with torches "like the villagers in the night".

January 2019: Displeasure over relationship with Trump

In January 2019, Alex Jones expressed displeasure over his relationship with Trump, 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."

January 2019: InfoWars removed from Roku after backlash

In January 2019, Roku initially allowed InfoWars to remain available on its devices, citing a policy against censoring based on viewpoint. However, following a social media backlash, Roku removed InfoWars, stating they had determined the channel should be removed from their platform after hearing from concerned parties.

March 2019: YouTube terminates Resistance News channel

In March 2019, YouTube terminated the Resistance News channel because it was reuploading live streams from InfoWars.

April 2019: Jones suspended from Dlive

In April 2019, Alex Jones briefly moved to Dlive, but was suspended for violating community guidelines.

May 1, 2019: Jones barred from Facebook and Instagram

On May 1, 2019, Alex Jones was barred from using both Facebook and Instagram.

September 2019: InfoWars Sold VasoBeet at 900% Retail Markup

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.

December 2019: Fined for contempt of court

In December 2019, Alex Jones and Infowars were fined a total of $126,000 for being in contempt of court due to failure to produce witnesses and materials relevant to the procedures.

January 29, 2020: InfoWars Pulled in $245,000 in Food Sales

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.

March 12, 2020: Jones Issued Cease and Desist for COVID-19 Treatment Claims

On March 12, 2020, Alex Jones was issued a cease and desist from the Attorney General of New York, after he claimed, in the absence of any evidence, that products he sold, including colloidal silver toothpaste, were an effective treatment for COVID-19.

March 2020: InfoWars app removed from Google Play store

In March 2020, the InfoWars app was removed from the Google Play store due to Jones disseminating COVID-19 misinformation.

April 9, 2020: FDA Warned Jones About Marketing Products for COVID-19

On April 9, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent Alex Jones a letter 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.

October 2020: Joe Rogan hosts Jones on his podcast

In October 2020, Joe Rogan faced criticism for hosting Alex Jones on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, which was made available on YouTube and Spotify, despite Jones's ban from both platforms. Rogan was criticized for giving Jones a platform to spread misinformation.

2020: Jones Supported Attempts to Overturn Election

In 2020, Alex Jones supported the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.

January 6, 2021: Jones Spoke at Rally Before Capitol Attack

On January 6, 2021, Alex Jones was a speaker at the rally in Lafayette Square Park supporting Trump preceding the latter's supporters' attack on the US Capitol.

January 22, 2021: Texas Supreme Court throws out appeal

On January 22, 2021, the Texas Supreme Court threw out an appeal for dismissal by Jones of four defamation lawsuits from families of Sandy Hook victims, allowing the lawsuits to continue.

February 2021: FBI investigation into Jones' role in Capitol incursion

In February 2021, The Washington Post reported that the FBI was investigating any role Jones might have played in influencing the participation of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers in the incursion.

March 2021: Leaked interview expressing displeasure with Trump released

In March 2021, a leaked interview of Jones in January 2019 expressing displeasure over his relationship with Trump was released by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

August 2021: Criticism of Trump's vaccine recommendation

In August 2021, after Trump recommended that people choose to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Alex Jones said that Trump was either lying or "not that bright" and "a dumbass".

September 27, 2021: Default judgments against Jones

On September 27, 2021, a district judge in Texas issued three default judgments against Jones, requiring him to pay all damages in two lawsuits after he repeatedly failed to hand over documents and evidence.

November 22, 2021: House Select Committee subpoena

On November 22, 2021, the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Jones for testimony and documents.

2021: Funding the January 6 Trump rally

In 2021, Alex Jones partially funded and raised other funds to finance the January 6 Trump rally in Washington, D.C., that preceded the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

2021: Denounces QAnon believers

In 2021, after the Capitol attack, Alex Jones denounced believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory on InfoWars.

January 24, 2022: Virtual meeting with January 6th Committee

On January 24, 2022, Alex Jones had a virtual meeting with the House Select Committee on the January 6th attack by video link. He pleaded the Fifth Amendment approximately 100 times.

March 2022: Admission of liability from Jones in Gilmore lawsuit

In March 2022, Brennan Gilmore secured an admission of liability from Alex Jones in the lawsuit related to the 2017 Unite the Right rally.

April 2022: Denial of Russian war crimes

In April 2022, Alex Jones denied Russian war crimes and accused Ukrainians of staging the Bucha massacre.

May 24, 2022: Comments on Robb Elementary School shooting

During an episode of InfoWars on May 24, 2022, Alex Jones commented on the Robb Elementary School shooting, predicting "a lot of mass shootings right before elections" and calling the situation "very opportunistic".

July 25, 2022: Sandy Hook Defamation Trial Begins

On July 25, 2022, the jury trial began in Texas for the Sandy Hook defamation case where the plaintiffs' attorney said they would seek $150 million from the jury.

August 4, 2022: Jury orders Jones to pay damages

On August 4, 2022, the jury ordered Alex Jones to pay Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages for defamation related to the Sandy Hook shooting.

August 5, 2022: Revelation of texts at Sandy Hook trial

On August 5, 2022, during a defamation trial in Texas, a lawyer for the plaintiffs revealed that Jones' lawyer had inadvertently sent him two years of texts from Jones' phone.

October 2022: Juries Award Damages in Sandy Hook Case

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.

November 2022: Musk comments on Jones unbanning

In November 2022, Elon Musk stated that Alex Jones "would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame" and said Jones would not be unbanned from Twitter at that time.

November 22, 2022: Ruling on punitive damages

On November 22, 2022, a judge ruled that Alex Jones must pay the full amount of the punitive damages, even though this amount exceeds a cap under Texas law.

January 2023: Law license suspension for Norm Pattis

In January 2023, a judge suspended Norm Pattis' law license after he released confidential discovery items including Sandy Hook plaintiffs' medical records.

March 2023: Leaked texts reveal Jones's social media evasion tactics

In March 2023, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported on Alex Jones's leaked texts from his Sandy Hook defamation trial. The texts revealed that Jones and his collaborators were trying to evade social media bans of InfoWars content by setting up alternate websites like National File to disguise its origin.

April 25, 2023: Sanctions for Jones' attorney

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.

May 2023: Jones guest hosts Steven Crowder's podcast

In May 2023, Alex Jones guest hosted Steven Crowder's podcast Louder with Crowder. Subsequently, Crowder's channel was suspended by YouTube for facilitating ban evasion by Jones.

September 12, 2023: Sentencing of Owen Shroyer

On September 12, 2023, Owen Shroyer, an InfoWars co-host, was sentenced to thirty days in prison for violating an active order to stay away from the Capitol grounds.