The Onion
The Onion is a privately held American satirical news publisher serving a broad consumer audience with parody articles, video, a daily newsletter, print newspaper membership, merchandise, and the recently acquired Infowars comedy platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Onion does
The Onion is a privately held American satirical news organization that publishes parody news articles, opinion pieces, and video content under the slogan "America's Finest News Source." Founded in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and now headquartered in Chicago under owner Global Tetrahedron, LLC (acquired 2013), the company serves a broad consumer audience seeking comedic commentary on politics, current events, entertainment, sports, and local news. Its product portfolio spans theonion.com, a daily email newsletter, video content through Onion News Network, a print newspaper membership delivering twelve monthly issues, an e-commerce merchandise store, horoscopes, and the podcast The Topical.
The underlying technology stack is a standard digital publishing platform with satirical content workflows, video production capabilities for Onion News Network, an email newsletter system, and a membership management platform for print subscriptions. The company holds DMCA Online Service Provider registration and integrates Google Analytics for audience measurement. Distribution leverages seven major social platforms (Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Bluesky, Tumblr) plus owned digital and print channels. The company maintains limited disclosed technical integrations and no proprietary AI/ML systems.
The business model combines recurring revenue from print subscriptions (monthly or annual) and gift memberships, programmatic and direct digital advertising on owned channels, e-commerce revenue from The Onion Store, and project-based merchandise revenue. Recent strategic activity centers on the 2026 acquisition and licensing-driven takeover of Alex Jones' Infowars, with comedian Tim Heidecker hired as creative director to relaunch the platform as parody content at theonion.info. Sandy Hook families, who hold $1.4 billion in defamation judgments against Jones, are backers of the venture and recipients of profits and merchandise proceeds. CEO Ben Collins leads the company.
The Onion firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Onion
- Legal name
- Global Tetrahedron, LLC
- Website
- https://theonion.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Onion is a privately held American satirical news publisher serving a broad consumer audience with parody articles, video, a daily newsletter, print newspaper membership, merchandise, and the recently acquired Infowars comedy platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Onion industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Satirical News Media
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD)
Keywords
Where The Onion is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Onion business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Print Membership Subscriptions: Monthly and annual print newspaper subscriptions delivered to members' addresses. The publication is issued 12 times per year with occasional bonus issues.
- Digital Content and Advertising: Revenue from digital advertising on theonion.com website and social media platforms
- Infowars Merchandise: Sales of Infowars-related merchandise including rainbow-colored gear, with proceeds earmarked for Sandy Hook families. Over $100,000 already raised from project-related merchandise sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Print Membership - Monthly or Annual subscription |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Print Membership - Single Issue |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Onion product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Onion is an American satirical news organization that produces and distributes parody news articles, video content, and a print newspaper across digital, print, video, and merchandise channels. Its core offerings include the theonion.com website with daily fake news articles, a monthly print newspaper membership delivered 12 times per year, the Onion News Network video division, and branded merchandise through the Onion Store, with the recently relaunched Infowars parody platform extending the brand into conspiracy-culture satire.
Product overview
The Onion operates a multi-platform satirical media portfolio consisting of its core website (theonion.com) featuring fake news content across News, Local, Politics, Entertainment, Sports, and Opinion categories; a print newspaper membership program delivering monthly physical editions; an e-commerce store (The Onion Store) for branded merchandise; and video content through Onion News Network. Additional offerings include horoscopes, email newsletters, and podcasts such as The Topical. The company is also planning to relaunch Infowars as a parody platform under creative director Tim Heidecker.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Onion Website The main satirical news website at theonion.com featuring fake news articles, opinion pieces, and content categories including News, Local, Politics, Entertainment, Sports, and Opinion. Targeted at a general consumer audience seeking parody news and comedic commentary.
- Onion Print Membership Monthly and annual print newspaper subscription service delivering physical copies of The Onion 12 times per year to members' addresses. Includes gift memberships and a first-year price guarantee. Targeted at individual consumers and gift buyers who want a physical satirical newspaper.
- The Onion Store Online merchandise store selling The Onion branded products and parody merchandise, including Infowars-branded rainbow-colored gear with proceeds directed to Sandy Hook families. Targeted at consumers purchasing satirical merchandise.
- Onion News Network Video content division producing satirical news videos, including shows like 'Tesla Launches New Model Of Explosions' and 'Bill Gates Invests In New Sex Trafficking Startup', with additional Tucker Carlson-style parody shows in development for the Infowars relaunch. Targeted at general consumer audiences on video platforms.
- Daily Email Newsletter Daily email newsletter delivering the latest headlines and content summaries to subscribers with tagline 'Sending Emails For Over A Hundred Years'. Targeted at general consumer readers wanting a daily roundup of satirical headlines.
- The Topical Podcast Daily news podcast serving as The Onion's only daily news podcast offering, providing satirical commentary on current events. Targeted at podcast consumers wanting daily satirical news commentary.
- Infowars Parody Relaunch Relaunched Infowars platform operating as a parody/comedy site at theonion.info, featuring satirical parody content with creative direction by Tim Heidecker and merchandise proceeds directed to Sandy Hook families. Targeted at general consumer audiences and social impact supporters.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $100,000 raised for Sandy Hook families from Infowars merchandise sales
Companies that use The Onion
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Onion technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
The Onion partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Sandy Hook FamiliescoreThe Sandy Hook families, who won $1.4 billion in defamation judgments against Alex Jones, are backing The Onion's acquisition and transformation of Infowars into a parody platform. They will receive profits from the new venture and direct payments from merchandise sales, representing both symbolic and practical redress for the harm caused by Jones' conspiracy theories.
- Tim HeideckercoreComedian Tim Heidecker has been hired as creative director for the rebooted Infowars platform. He is known for 'Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!' and will lead the transformation of Infowars into a comedy platform, including creating an eight-episode Tucker Carlson-style parody show and plans for a streaming site with budgets for young creators.
- Court-Appointed Receiver (Greg Mulligan)coreGregory S. Milligan serves as the court-appointed receiver managing Infowars' parent company Free Speech Systems in bankruptcy proceedings. The licensing agreement with The Onion requires approval from Texas judge Maya Guerra Gamble and involves $81,000 monthly payments for studio rent and utilities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Onion competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Babylon Bee: Conservative-leaning satirical news website that, like The Onion, produces parody news articles on politics and culture and monetizes through a website, newsletter, and merchandise. It is the closest direct competitor in the satirical digital news category.
- Reductress: Satirical feminist news site publishing fake news articles parodying women's media, with a similar content format and digital-first distribution model to The Onion, making it a direct peer in the satire-on-news category.
- ClickHole: Satirical content site spun out of The Onion's parent umbrella (originally by The Onion's team) that parodies clickbait and viral content. Highly comparable as a digital-first satire brand using parody of mainstream media formats.
- The Hard Times: Satirical publication parodying music and counterculture news, operating with a similar web-first satirical newsroom model and audience overlap with The Onion's entertainment and culture coverage.
- McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Long-running humor and satire literary site publishing parody pieces and comedic lists. Comparable as a heritage digital satire brand with overlapping comedic editorial audience.
- The Borowitz Report: Andy Borowitz's satirical political news column and brand, distributed via email and partner outlets. Comparable as a long-running satire-of-news property with a recurring newsletter model similar to The Onion's daily newsletter.
Emerging players
- CollegeHumor: Digital comedy brand producing scripted video sketches, short films, and online content. Comparable as a multi-platform satirical/comedy publisher that monetizes through video, branded content, and owned channels.
- Funny Or Die: Comedy video platform producing short-form and long-form satirical content with celebrity talent. Comparable as a video-first comedy brand overlapping with The Onion's Onion News Network video offering.
Broad incumbents
- Vice Media: Large independent digital media company covering news, culture, and lifestyle with an irreverent editorial voice. Comparable as a privately held multi-platform digital publisher with a younger, digital-native audience.
- BuzzFeed: Digital media company known for viral listicles, news, and humor content. Comparable as a digital-first news and entertainment publisher with overlapping audience and ad-supported monetization, though at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Onion social profiles
Digital presenceThe Onion compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Onion financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Onion leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Onion funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Onion M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Onion
What does The Onion do?
The Onion is an American satirical news organization that produces and distributes parody news articles, video content, and a print newspaper across digital, print, video, and merchandise channels. Its core offerings include the theonion.com website with daily fake news articles, a monthly print newspaper membership delivered 12 times per year, the Onion News Network video division, and branded merchandise through the Onion Store, with the recently relaunched Infowars parody platform extending the brand into conspiracy-culture satire.
Is The Onion a public or private company?
The Onion is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Onion founded?
The Onion was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Onion based?
The Onion is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Onion make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are digital Content and Advertising and infowars Merchandise.
Who are The Onion's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Babylon Bee, Reductress, ClickHole, The Hard Times, McSweeney's Internet Tendency and The Borowitz Report. Emerging players are CollegeHumor and Funny Or Die. Broad incumbents are Vice Media and BuzzFeed.
Does The Onion have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Onion.
What industry is The Onion in?
The Onion's product category is Satirical News Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAD, Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.