The Onion is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishessatirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based inChicago, but originated as a weekly print publication on August 29, 1988, inMadison, Wisconsin.[1][3]The Onion began publishing online in early 1996. In 2007, they began publishing satirical news audio and video online as theOnion News Network. In 2013,The Onion stopped publishing its print edition and launched Onion Labs, an advertising agency.[4][5]The Onion was then acquired three times, first byUnivision in 2016, which later mergedThe Onion and its several other publications into those ofGizmodo Media Group.[6] This unit was sold in 2019 to Great Hill Partners, forming a new company namedG/O Media.[7] Then, in April 2024, G/O Media soldThe Onion to Global Tetrahedron, a firm newly created by formerTwilio CEO Jeff Lawson, which revived the print edition in August that year.[8][9]
The Onion's articles cover real and fictional current events, parodying the tone and format of traditional news organizations with stories, editorials, and street interviews using a traditional news website layout and aneditorial voice modeled after that of theAssociated Press. The publication's humor often depends on presenting mundane, everyday events as newsworthy, surreal, or alarming, such as "Rotation Of Earth Plunges Entire North American Continent Into Darkness".[10] In 1999, comedianBob Odenkirk praised the publication as "the best comedy writing in the country".[11]
The Onion previously ranThe A.V. Club, a non-satirical entertainment and pop culture publication founded in 1993 that contains interviews and reviews of newly released media and other weekly features, andClickHole, a satirical website founded in 2014 which parodiesclickbait websites.ClickHole was acquired byCards Against Humanity in February 2020 whileThe A.V. Club was acquired byPaste magazine in March 2024.[12][13]
In 1988,The Onion was founded as a weekly print newspaper for satirical news byUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison studentsTim Keck and Christopher Johnson.[14][15] Keck's parents had both worked onThe Hammond Times newspaper, and he had previously partnered with cartoonistJames Sturm to sell monthly calendars featuring characters from Sturm's comics inThe Daily Cardinal student newspaper.[16] The idea for a newspaper of fake stories came fromThe Daily Cardinal's annualApril Fools' Day parody issue.[17] Keck claims that Johnson's uncle suggested naming the newspaperThe Onion because of their frequent consumption of onion sandwiches, early comic contributorScott Dikkers maintains that it referred to "newspaper slang in the 1930s for a juicy, multi-layered story," and editor Cole Bolton insists that it mocked the campus bulletinThe Union, alongside which early issues appeared.[18][19][20]
InThe Onion's earlier years, it was successful in a number of university locations (e.g., University of Wisconsin–Madison andUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign). The publication primarily consisted of a mix of Dikkers's cartoons,Spy magazine-like satire, and short fiction. The bottom three inches were reserved as ad space for coupons that were typically purchased by local, student-centered or inexpensive establishments, such as eateries andvideo rental stores.[26][30]
In the summer of 1993,Stephen Thompson founded and became editor of the paper's genuine entertainment section, which was dubbedThe A.V. Club in 1995.[31] In a 1994 interview withU. Magazine, Dikkers discussed Onion, Inc.'s plans to create a new sketch comedy show calledThe Comedy Castaways, which they were in the process of pitching toNBC,Fox, andHBO. With apilot[32] and the first two episodes in post-production, Dikkers said, "I think what sets us apart is we've intentionally formed a tightly knit group of funny performers. A lot of these other shows are created by 50-year-olds, written by 40-year-olds and performed by 35-year-olds".[33]
In 1995, Dave and Jeff Haupt sold their shares ofCisco to purchase a $25,000 license to franchiseTheOnion inDenver,Colorado. The publication also licensedThe Onion's content for between $200 and $500 a week. According to the Haupts, the staff in the paper's Chicago office were known to smoke marijuana while watchingCubs games on television. But the Haupts and their partner, Dave Rogers, assembled a more business-focused staff. While other editions of The Onion ran pages of stories there were not enough ads to support, the Haupts cut content to avoid losses. It was a deal many atThe Onion eventually regretted. There were blowups when the Haupts refused to run especially biting headlines or when they made changes to the paper's layout. "We might have been selling humor, but the business behind it was always very serious to us. The rest ofThe Onion was a complete disaster."[34]
In the spring of 1996,Ben Karlin and Dikkers collaborated withRobert Smigel andDana Carvey to create four shortOnion news segments forThe Dana Carvey Show. Smigel said that after being introduced toThe Onion byBob Odenkirk a year earlier, "it jumped out at me as something completely original and great, and I really wanted to use it on the show". Although four fake news segments anchored byStephen Colbert were recorded, only one of the segments actually aired.[35][36]
In response to other websites copyingOnion print articles without attribution, graphic designer Jack Szwergold launched an online version ofThe Onion in May 1996. Amid thedot-com boom, high revenue fromonline advertising allowed the newspaper to professionalize with formal positions and salaries.[37] In a 2002 interview, then-editor in chiefRob Siegel said, "If you look at the breakdown of people who readThe Onion online, it's likeMicrosoft,Dell Computers, theDepartment of Justice and then, like,University of Wisconsin. So it's a combination of students and pretty impressive people. I get the feeling that the print version is read by people hanging out in bars".[38]
The website also increasedThe Onion's global recognition.[39][40][41] Soon after its launch, the article "Dying Boy Gets Wish: To PorkJanet Jackson" prompted a lawsuit from the singer's legal team, which was settled by issuing a letter of apology in the following issue and providing a complimentary subscription.[37][42][43] In March 1999,The Onion's website won its firstWebby Award in the category of "Humor".[44][45]
In the fall of 1996, Ben Karlin, who had been a writer and editor for the publication since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1993, moved toLos Angeles and joined other formerOnion staff members to create a pilot for a news parody titledDeadline: Now for the Fox Network.[46][47] The 15-minute pilot was completed in 1997, but it was never picked up for production.[48] However, its creation led to steady writing work for Karlin and other formerOnion staffers, such as writing some episodes ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coast on theCartoon Network.[49] In the wake of Karlin's departure, Siegel took over as editor of the publication, for which he was paid $400 per week.[50] In January 1999, whenJon Stewart became the host ofThe Daily Show, he chose Karlin to behead writer of the newly restructured show.[46][48][51]
On January 27, 1998,MTV premieredVirtual Bill, a collaboration between writers ofThe Onion and 3-D character studio Protozoa. The titular "Virtual Bill" character was a quasi-realisticCGI version ofBill Clinton created by studio Protozoa who introducedmusic videos and told jokes written by the staff ofThe Onion. The voice ofVirtual Bill was provided by then-editor Dikkers. After the initial premiere,Virtual Bill returned to MTV on December 17, 1998, with another TV special and an interactive web special produced by Pulse that ported the 3D data into a web compatible format using Pulse's proprietary plug-in.[52][53][54][55][56]
From March 3 to 7, 1999,Onion staff attendedThe Comedy Festival inAspen, Colorado to promote theirOur Dumb Century book. The newspaper was met with effusive praise from notable comedians likeConan O'Brien,Dave Foley andDave Thomas, as well as cartoonistPeter Bagge and musicianAndy Prieboy.[39][57] The book released on March 23, 1999, featuring mocked-up newspaper front pages from across the 20th century, presented as if the publication had been continuously in print since before 1900.[58][59][60] In the wake of the book's success, networks such asHBO andNBC were in talks to bringThe Onion to TV with a special based onOur Dumb Century.[26] Despite nearly two years of work spent on conceiving and producingOur Dumb Century, the writers received only $1,300 in bonuses,[61] despite the fact that the two-book publishing deal nettedThe Onion $450,000.[26][58][59][60]
In April 2000,DreamWorks Studios optioned two stories from the satirical newspaper, "Canadian Girlfriend Unsubstantiated"—which was to be written by formerOnion editor and writer Rich Dahm—and "Tenth Circle Added to Rapidly Growing Hell" with an eye toward producing the latter as a family comedy. "The story is so dark and hate filled—I was shocked", said head writer Todd Hanson. "It's like an Onion joke. I mean, what are they going to do? Add a sickly-but-adorable moppet?" added editor Robert Siegel. DreamWorks planned for the finished "Tenth Circle Added to Rapidly Growing Hell" to involve animation as well as musical singalongs.[62][63][64][65] The following year,Miramax signed a first-look deal withThe Onion, but it never agreed to any films.[66][67][68]
In June 2000, writers and editors ofThe Onion participated in aComedy Central panel discussion moderated byJeff Greenfield titled "The State ofThe Onion" during the "Toyota Comedy Festival 2000".[69][70] The following month, editor Robert Siegel was named one ofPeople magazine's most eligible bachelors.[38][71]
In April 2000, a $12 million deal forComedy Central to acquireThe Onion fell through amid thedot-com crash.[72] In frustration, Dikkers sold his shares to David Schafer, who managed investments forStrong Capital Management.[73][72] Writers conditioned their acceptance of the deal on joining the owners inNew York City, while writers forThe A.V. Club would remain in Madison, Wisconsin.[72] Agreeing that the move would allowThe Onion to expand into a full production company of books, television, and movies, Haise and Schafer chose a former furniture warehouse in theChelsea neighborhood ofManhattan.[74][75][76][77] The planned launch of the New York City print edition on September 16, 2001, was postponed due to theSeptember 11 attacks. The rewritten issue debuted on September 27 and was widely praised for bringing humor to a recent tragedy, doubling the website's online traffic in the following weeks.[73][78][79]
In November 2002, a humorous op-ed piece inThe Onion that was satirically bylined by filmmakerMichael Bay titled "Those Chechen Rebels Stole My Idea" was removed from the site without explanation.[80] Entertainment industry trade magazineVariety theorized, "It's not clear if Bay—a frequent object ofThe Onion's satire—requested the move."[80][81][82][83]
In 2003, editor Robert Siegel quit his day-to-day role atThe Onion to focus on writing screenplays full-time.[42][84][85] "After the 14,000th headline I felt the itch to use a different part of my brain", he said. "You can go mad thinking in headline form." In the wake of his departure, long-time staff writerCarol Kolb took over as editor of the publication.[21][22][65][86][87]
Unable to supportThe Onion's rising costs, Haise sold his ownership shares to Schafer for $1.7 million in April 2003.[88] Schafer appointed journalist Steve Hannah asThe Onion's new CEO, who quickly faced criticism for being too old to understand its satire.[88] In 2005,The Onion moved its New York City offices from its initial Chelsea location to downtown on Broadway in theSoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.[89] That same year, Kolb resigned to work in television writing, leading Hannah to rehire Dikkers as editor-in-chief.[90]
In 2006,The Onion had reached a print circulation of 549,000; it was distributed for free in several cities.[91] The same year, it launched aYouTube channel, which was structured as a parody of modern American television news programs.[92] In June 2006, it was also announced that Siegel had been tapped by Miramax Films to write the screenplay for a comedy titled "Homeland Insecurity" which was slated to be about a pair of Arab-Americans who are mistaken for terrorists while traveling to Texas.[93]
In July 2006, business media began reporting thatViacom intended to acquireThe Onion.[94][95][96] After the sale price was rejected byOnion executives, the company began expanding with unpaid interns to appear larger to potential buyers.[97]
In April 2007,The Onion launchedOnion News Network, a parody of "the visual style and breathless reporting of 24-hour cable news networks likeCNN."[98] In 2008, Kolb returned ashead writer of the Onion News Network, while Dikkers handed off editorial control ofThe Onion itself toJoe Randazzo. Randazzo first became a writer forThe Onion in 2006 and became the firstOnion editor with no connection to its initial era in Madison.[14][99][100][101]
In November 2009,The Onion releasedOur Front Pages: 21 Years of Greatness, Virtue, and Moral Rectitude From America's Finest News Source which was notable in not only compiling dozens of front pages from the publication's history as a news parody but also showcasing front pages from the publication's early, more casual campus humor focused era during the 1980s when the publication featured headlines such as, "Depressed? Try Liposuction on that Pesky Head."[102]
In July 2009,The Onion satirized media consolidation by leaking false rumors that the newspaper would be sold, which was widely reported by other outlets.[103][104][105] Fictional Publisher Emeritus T. Herman Zweibel (portrayed by Dikkers) announced that he had sold the publication to a Chinese company—Yu Wan Mei Corporation—resulting in a week-long series of China-related articles throughoutThe Onion's website and print editions.[106][107] On July 22, 2009, editorJoe Randazzo clarified onNPR'sAll Things Considered that "we are, in fact, still a solvent independently owned American company."[108]
In August 2011,The Onion's website began testing apaywall model, requiring a $2.95 monthly/$29.95 annual charge from non-U.S. visitors who wish to read more than about five stories within 30 days. "We are testing a meter internationally as readers in those markets are already used to paying directly for some (other) content, particularly in the UK where we have many readers", said the company's CTO Michael Greer.[109][110][111]
In September 2011,The Onion announced that it would move its editorial operations to Chicago, joining its corporate headquarters.[112][113][114] That year,Onion News Network launched on television, and it was a major source of revenue amid diminished newspaper advertising in the aftermath of the2008 financial crisis. Chicago and Illinois offered tax breaks forInternet video production, while New York City unions had bargained high wages forOnion writers.[115]
The move blindsidedOnion writers, and they threatened to collectively resign. WriterBaratunde Thurston organized "Project Allium" (named after theAlliumgenus of onions) to havebusiness incubatorBetaworks acquireThe Onion. Hannah responded by rejecting Betaworks' offer and convincing Dikkers to return as General Manager and Vice President of Creative Development to maintain the appearance of continuity. Around 85% of the staff resigned, including Randazzo.[115][116]
With the publication's core editorial staff now based in Chicago, in March 2012 Cole Bolton—aBrown University graduate of business economics, former associate economist at theFederal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and research associate atHarvard Business School—was named the new editor-in-chief ofThe Onion.[117][118] "I was never in an improv group, never in a sketch group, never wrote for anOnion parody in college", said Bolton in a 2014 interview with comedy publicationSplitSider.[118] "It was just sort of a decision that I decided, two years out of college, that I didn't like where I was going in my life, and I wanted to do something that I cared about more, so I ended up just sending stuff in toThe Onion."[20][118][117][119]
Additionally, in March 2012 more insight into the internal issues surrounding the Chicago move—including an attempt made by the writers to find a new owner—are explored by articles inThe Atlantic Wire[120] andNew York magazine'sDaily Intelligencer.[121] According to an article in theChicago Tribune,[122] founding editor Scott Dikkers returned to the publication in light of the Chicago move stating that he hopes to find a "younger and hungrier" pool of talent in Chicago than what was available in New York City. "The Onion is obviously always going to draw talent from wherever it is", Dikkers said. "In Madison, people used to just come in off the street [...] and we'd give them a shot.The Onion has always thrived on the youngest, greenest people."[123]
In August 2012, it was announced that a group of formerThe Onion writers had teamed up withAdult Swim to create comedy content on a website calledThing X. According to the comedy websiteSplitSider, "The Onion writers had nothing else going on, and AdultSwim.com wanted to take advantage of that. But only because they smelled a business opportunity. Adult Swim is just looking at it from a business standpoint."[124][125] In June 2013, it was announced thatThing X would be shutting down with some staff moving over to parent websiteadultswim.com on June 18, 2013.[126][127] In February 2013The Onion was added toAdvertising Age's "Digital A-List 2013" because the publication "...has not just survived, it's thrived..." since the publication's 2012 move to consolidate operations and staff in Chicago.[128]
In November 2013, the publication announced inCrain's Chicago Business thatThe Onion would move to an all-digital format by December 2013, citing a 30% year-over-year growth in page views to the publication's website. The final print edition was published on December 13, 2013.[2]
In 2013,The Onion received an email fromMichael Cohen claiming that an article published aboutDonald Trump wasdefamation. Cohen demanded that it be removed with an apology.[129][130]
In June 2014,The Onion launched the spinoff websiteClickHole, which satirizes and parodies so-called "clickbait" websites such asBuzzFeed andUpworthy that capitalize on viral content to drive traffic.[131] On September 21, 2015,StarWipe launched as a satirical spinoff ofThe A.V. Club centered on celebrity culture.[132] It was closed on June 17, 2016.[133]
In November 2014,Bloomberg News reported thatThe Onion had hired a financial adviser for a possible sale.[134][135] In June 2015, Hannah was replaced as CEO by Mike McAvoy, who he had hired a decade earlier as afinancial controller.[88][136][137] The following year, he oversaw restructuring to reduce non-media roles in response to declining demand.[138]
Univision Communications / G/O Media ownership (2016–2024)
In January 2017,The Onion partnered withLionsgate Films and production company Serious Business to develop multiple film projects. "We've plotted our takeover of the film industry for some time", said Kyle Ryan, vice president of Onion Studios. "With the help of Serious Business and Lionsgate, we'll make room on our award shelf for some Oscars. To the basement you go, Pulitzers." Serious Business is a production company run by formerUTA Online co-founder Jason U. Nadler,@midnight co-creator Jon Zimelis and writer/producer Alex Blagg.[142]
In September 2017, the site's editor-in-chief Cole Bolton and executive editor Ben Berkley stepped down to join Elon Musk'sThud, which folded after Musk pulled funding the following year over fears that it would satirize his own companies.[141] Chad Nackers was elevated from head writer to editor-in-chief and is now the only remaining member fromThe Onion's Madison era.[141] The departures were partially due to disagreements about the direction the site was taking under the ownership of Univision.[143]
In April 2018 the employees of the company unionized with The Writers Guild Of America, East.[144] The union comprises "all of the creative staffs at Onion Inc.:The A.V. Club,The Onion,ClickHole,The Takeout, Onion Labs, and Onion Inc.'s video and art departments."[145][146] and reached a contract agreement with management on December 20, 2018.[147]
In July 2018, Univision laid off 15% ofOnion staff to support a sale of Onion Inc. and Gizmodo Media Group.[148][149][150][151] On April 8, 2019,private equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired Onion Inc. and Gizmodo Media Group from Univision for an undisclosed amount to formG/O Media.[7][152][153] In March 2024, G/O Media soldThe A.V. Club toPaste magazine and was reported to be seeking buyers forThe Onion.[154]
Global Tetrahedron ownership, attempted purchase ofInfoWars (2024–present)
On April 25, 2024, G/O Media CEOJim Spanfeller told employees that G/O Media had soldThe Onion to Chicago firm Global Tetrahedron, which is owned byTwilio founder Jeff Lawson, with formerNBC News reporterBen Collins serving as CEO.[155] As a condition of the deal, the new owners said they would retain the website's staff and keep it based in Chicago.[156] "Global Tetrahedron" is taken from a "fictional evil megacorporation" that has been the subject of a running gag sinceOur Dumb Century.[8][141] New leaders at the company also included Danielle Strle as chief product officer and Leila Brillson as chief marketing officer.[157][158] Global Tetrahedron promised that the buyers would continue to honorOnion staffers' union contract, and thatOnion employees would be part of a revenue sharing plan.[158] Under Global Tetrahedron ownership,The Onion redesigned its website, droppingKinja and carrying significantly less advertising, and launched a subscription that included a new monthly print edition in August 2024.[159]Onion News Network, which had not released new content since 2015, returned in September 2024, with former MSNBC hostJoshua Johnson portraying anchor Dwight Richmond.
On November 14, 2024, through a bankruptcy auction, Global Tetrahedronattempted to purchaseInfoWars, aconspiratorial far-right website founded byAlex Jones.[160] Collins stated that Global Tetrahedron's intent was to turnInfoWars into a parody of Jones's conspiracy theories, adding genuine gun violence prevention information to the site as well. The purchase was supported by families of the victims of theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who had successfully sued Jones fordefamation.[161] The purchase was initially halted the following day, and on December 10, the federal bankruptcy judge overseeing Jones's case, Christopher Lopez, rejected the sale, concluding that the bidding process was flawed. Lopez ordered an evidentiary hearing regarding the auction, saying "I'm going to figure out exactly what happened" and that "no one should feel comfortable with the results of this auction."[162] No date was immediately set for a new auction,[163] and in early 2025 the bankruptcy court rejected the purchase attempt, asInfoWars's parent company was no longer in bankruptcy and thus the website was no longer an asset eligible for auction through the court.[164]
DuringThe Onion print edition's initial 25-year run—from the publication's creation in 1988 to the end of the print edition in 2013—it was distributed for free in various cities across the United States and Canada as well as via paid mail order subscription to subscribers around the world. By the time the print edition ofThe Onion ceased publication in December 2013, it was only available in Chicago, Milwaukee and Providence. At its peak,The Onion had a print circulation of about 500,000 while the publication's websites brought in more than 10 million unique monthly visitors. Below is a list of all of the cities in whichThe Onion was distributed freely at different points from 1988 to 2013.[122][165][166][167]
The Onion revived its print edition in August 2024, as a paid subscription with monthly issues.[9] To promote the relaunch,The Onion printed a special 40,000-copy run for theDemocratic National Convention that month.[157] As of August 2025,The Onion has 53,000 subscribers.[159]
Slideshows that parody content aggregation sites likeHuffington Post and Buzzfeed, usually accompanied by a "click-bait"-style headline.
"News in Photos" that feature a photograph and caption with no accompanying story.
"American Voices" (formerly called "What Do You Think?"), a mockvox populi survey on a topical current event. There are three respondents—down from the original six—for each topic, who appear to represent a diverse selection of demographics. Although their names and professions change each time they are used, the same six pictures have been reused weekly for over 20 years. The photos belong to people that happened to be near the publication's old office in Madison: one is a Madison community theater actor, one used to work with The Onion's CEO Chad Nackers at a restaurant, one delivered goods for UPS, and one is Mark Danielson's aunt.[168][169]
Aneditorial cartoon drawn by "Kelly" (also referred to as "Stan Kelly"), a fictional cartoonist. The cartoons are actually the work of artistWard Sutton and they are a deadpan parody of conservative editorial cartoons, as well as editorial cartoons in general. Many of the cartoons feature theStatue of Liberty, usually shedding a single tear—of joy or anguish—depending on the situation.[170][171]
Since the first publication ofOur Dumb Century in 1999,The Onion has produced various books that often compile already produced material into collected volumes. Its other fully original book content includesOur Dumb World (2007) andThe Onion Book of Known Knowledge (2012).
The Onion (November 2014).The Onion Magazine The Iconic Covers That Transformed An Undeserving World. Little, Brown and Company.ISBN978-0-316-25645-2.
The Onion (October 2017).The Trump Leaks: The Onion Exposes the Top Secret Memos, Emails, and Doodles That Could Take Down a President. Harper Design.ISBN978-0062834263.
In April 2007,The Onion launchedOnion News Network—a daily web video broadcast—with a story about an illegal immigrant taking an executive's $800,000-a-year job for $600,000 a year, directed by Dikkers. The publication reportedly initially invested $1 million in the production and hired 15 new staffers. On February 3, 2009,The Onion launched a spin-off of theOnion News Network called theOnion Sports Network.[98] In April 2009, the program was awarded aPeabody Award noting that the publication provides "ersatz news that has a worrisome ring of truth."[179][180]
In aWikinews interview in November 2007, formerOnion President Mills said theOnion News Network had been a huge hit. "We get over a million downloads a week, which makes it one of the more successful produced-for-the-Internet videos", said Mills. "If we're not the most successful, we're one of the most.'[170] In January 2011,The Onion launched two TV shows on cable networks:Onion SportsDome which premiered January 11 on Comedy Central,[181] and theOnion News Network which premiered January 21 onIndependent Film Channel (IFC).[182] Later in the year IFC officially announced the renewal of theOnion News Network for a second season in March 2011 while Comedy Central officially announced the cancellation ofOnion SportsDome in June 2011.[183][184]
In August 2011, theWriters Guild of America, East,AFL–CIO, announced the unionization of theOnion News Network writing staff, averting a potential strike which hinged on pay and benefits. It is also not the first time Onion, Inc. has been criticized for the way it treats its employees: In June 2011A.V. Club Philadelphia city editorEmily Guendelsberger was the victim of an attack and—according to thePhiladelphia Daily News—her job did not provide health insurance to cover hospital bills. According to the WGA,Onion News Network was the only scripted, live-action program that had employed non-union writers. "The ONN writers stood together and won real improvements", said WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson. "We welcome them into the WGAE and we look forward to a productive relationship with the company." Peterson noted that more than 70 Guild members from all of the New York-based comedy shows signed a letter supporting theOnion News Network writers, and hundreds of Guild members sent emails to the producers.[185][186][187][188][189][190]
In March 2012, IFC officially announced the cancellation of theOnion News Network. After the show's cancellation, a pilot for a new comedy series titledOnion News Empire premiered onAmazon.com in April 2013, which presented as a behind-the-scenes look ofThe Onion's newsroom. The pilot was one of several candidates for production on Amazon, but was not ultimately selected.[191][192][193] In September 2024,The Onion relaunched theOnion News Network on its YouTube page, starring former MSNBC hostJoshua Johnson as ONN anchor Dwight Richmond.[194]
Today Now!: a series of parodies of a morning talk show
Onion Film Standard with Peter K. Rosenthal: a series of parodies in which "Movie critic Peter K. Rosenthal" (played by Ron E. Rains) presents his views on famous films, both classic and contemporary.[195][196]
In 2008,The Onion launched a series of YouTube videos produced by its 'Onion Digital Studios' division, funded in part by a grant from YouTube and exclusive to the site.[197]
The Onion Movie is adirect-to-video film written by then-Onion editorRobert Siegel and writerTodd Hanson and directed byTom Kuntz and Mike Maguire. Created in 2003,Fox Searchlight Pictures was on board to release the movie, originally calledThe Untitled Onion Movie, but at some point in the process, directors Kuntz and Maguire—as well as writer Siegel—walked away from the project. In 2006,New Regency Productions took over the production of the troubled project. After two years of being inlimbo, the film was releaseddirectly on DVD on June 3, 2008. Upon release, it was credited as being directed by James Kleiner, apseudonym for Kuntz and Maguire.[212]
In Spring 2014, early employee and former shareholder, Peter K. Haise, sued majority shareholder,[213] David K. Schafer, inPalm Beach County over not being listed as an "Executive Producer" in the film's credits, despite that being a condition of his 2003 transfer of ownership.[214] The lawsuit was ultimately settled with Haise claiming an undisclosed financial victory.[88]
TheOnion Radio News was an audiopodcast/radio show produced byThe Onion from 1999 and 2009. The core voice of the podcast was that of a fictional newsreader named "Doyle Redland" who was voiced byPete S. Mueller. At its peakOnion Radio News was picked up by theWestwood One radio network as well asAudible.com.[215][216][217]
On February 5, 2018,The Onion published its first podcast, titledA Very Fatal Murder. It was released in six parts and parodies other true crime podcasts such asSerial andMy Favorite Murder. The story follows Onion Public Radio reporter David Pascall (voiced byDavid Sidorov) as he tries to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl named Hayley Price in the fictional town of Bluff Springs, Nebraska.[218]
On January 16, 2020,The Onion expanded its podcast formula to includeThe Topical, in a partnership withSony Music.The Topical was a satirical news podcast which parodies the style and format ofNPRdrive-time news broadcasts andThe Daily by theNew York Times.[219][220] It was hosted by a fictional Leslie Price, with its final episode on May 20, 2021.[221]
Occasionally, the straight-faced manner in whichThe Onion reports non-existent events, happenings and ideas has resulted inthird parties mistakenly citingThe Onion stories as real news.
"Congress Passes Americans With No Abilities Act": At various times since the article's initial publication in 1998, variants of the "Americans With No Abilities Act" article and theme have been passed around online including a variant in 2009 that changed the stated U.S. president from Bill Clinton toBarack Obama as well as a 2007 variant that changed the country from the United States of America to Australia.[223]
"Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children": Beginning in the year 2000, an article onHarry Potter inciting children to practicewitchcraft was the subject of a widely forwarded email which repeated the quotes attributed to children in the article. Columnist Ellen Makkai and others who believe theHarry Potter books "recruit" children toSatanism have also been taken in by the article, using quotes directly from it to support their claims.[224][225]
"Congress Threatens To Leave D.C. Unless New Capitol Is Built": On June 7, 2002,Reuters reported that theBeijing Evening News republished and translated portions of the article.[226] The article is a parody of U.S. sports franchises' threats to leave their home city unless new stadiums are built for them.[227] TheBeijing Evening News initially stood by the story, demanding proof of its falsehood but later retracted the article, responding that "some small American newspapers frequently fabricate offbeat news to trick people into noticing them with the aim of making money."[228]
"Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong Moon Landing Was Faked": In September 2009, twoBangladeshi newspapers—The Daily Manab Zamin and theNew Nation—published stories translated fromThe Onion claiming that astronautNeil Armstrong had held a news conference claiming the Moon landing was an elaborate hoax.[229]
"Denmark Introduces Harrowing New Tourism Ads Directed ByLars Von Trier": In February 2010, online newspapers such asIl Corriere della Sera (Italy) andAdresseavisen (Norway) repackaged clips fromThe Onion video piece as legitimate news.[230][231]
"Frustrated Obama Sends Nation Rambling 75,000-Word E-Mail": In November 2010, theFox Nation website presentedThe Onion article as a genuine report.[232]
"Congress Takes Group Of Schoolchildren Hostage": In September 2011,United States Capitol Police investigated a series oftweets coming fromThe Onion's Twitter account claiming that U.S. congressmen were holding twelve children hostage.[233]
"Obama Openly Asks Nation Why On Earth He Would Want To Serve For Another Term": On January 7, 2012,Lim Hwee Hua—a formerSingaporeanMP—posted the article on her Facebook page.[234]
"Gallup Poll: Rural Whites PreferAhmadinejad to Obama": On September 28, 2012, Iran'sFars News Agency copiedThe Onion story verbatim on their website.The Onion updated the original story with the note: "For more on this story: Please visit our Iranian subsidiary organization, Fars", linking to a screenshot of Fars's coverage of the story.[236][237]
"Kim Jong-Un NamedThe Onion's Sexiest Man Alive For 2012": On November 27, 2012, the online version of the Chinese Communist Party newspaperThe People's Daily ran a story onKim Jong-un, citingThe Onion's article as a source and even included a 55-page photo gallery with the article in tribute to theNorth Korean leader.[238][239]
"Fred Phelps, Man Who Forever Stopped March Of Gay Rights, Dead At 84": In March 2014, Ed Farrell—the Vice Mayor ofMaricopa, Arizona—apologized for inadvertently and enthusiastically praising Fred Phelps via a post of the satirical obituary on his Facebook page. In an interview about his Facebook post Farrell apologized for doing it, stating "I had no clue about this guy; he's an idiot. I can't believe that I posted what I posted [...] shame on me."[240][241][242]
"FIFA Frantically Announces 2015 Summer World Cup In United States": In May 2015, the formerFIFA vice presidentJack Warner—who was arrested on corruption charges that same month—drew attention toThe Onion article by reporting it as real news in a video on Facebook.[243]
"Study: Every 10 Seconds A Skyscraper Window Washer Falls To His Death": In September 2018, Serbian presidentAleksandar Vučić made the statement commenting on the death of two workers who died working on theBelgrade Waterfront construction site. He expressed his condolences to the families, but said that "inSerbia, there are proportionally a lot less accidents in dangerous jobs, such as construction. As for the allegations aimed against the state, I want to tell the citizens—even though I did not want to speak about it—that I read some data. Did you know that, in America, every ten seconds one window washer dies doing his job?".[244]
"CIA Issues Posthumous Apology After New Evidence Clears Osama Bin Laden Of Involvement In 9/11 Attacks": On October 13, 2019, former Inspector-General of theRoyal Malaysian PoliceMusa Hassan received criticism after promoting the titled post as real news on Twitter, and then doubling down when other Twitter users pointed out the satirical nature of the site, remarking "Wait forThe Onion to deny it. If not, it means that America allows the spreading of fake news."[245]
Several commentators have characterizedThe Onion as overtly political. In 2013, Noreen Malone, editor ofThe New York Times Sunday Business section, characterized the publication as producing biting, leftist op-ed pieces through its presentation of satire news.[246] Conversely, journalistDavid Weigel criticized the outlet for advocatingUS intervention in the Syrian civil war andsame-sex marriage in the United States, which he framed as already popular views adopted for the faster Internet news cycle.[247][248]Farhad Manjoo ofSlate similarly attributed the publication's "faster, bigger, more strident, and, to me, a little inconsistent" tone to the exigencies of the Internet.[5]
Political commentatorEmmett Rensin has describedThe Onion as "the paper most dedicated to the overthrowing capitalism in the United States" and that it "represents some latent Marxism in our culture", citing its criticism offalse consciousness,commodity fetishization, and theinvisible hand.[249] Rensin attributes this slant to the need to work from "obvious, intuitive truth—the kind necessary for any kind of broadly appealing humor", while Christine Wenc's bookFunny Because It's True highlights that many early writers came fromThe Daily Cardinal, the left-leaningstudent newspaper of theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.[249][250]
Some of the publication's political impact is unintentional. For example,The Onion'slong-running caricature of Joe Biden as ablue-collar "creepy but harmless uncle" character is believed to have benefited the realJoe Biden's public image. In May 2019, the formerOnion editorJoe Garden published an op-ed inVice to express regret over the character, which he felt had distracted from serious concerns about Biden's political record and personal behavior.[251]
In September 2005, the assistant counsel to PresidentGeorge W. Bush, Grant M. Dixton, wrote acease-and-desist letter toThe Onion, asking the publication to stop using thepresidential seal, which it used in an online parody of Bush.[252]
The Onion responded with a formal request to use the seal in accordance with the executive order, while maintaining that its use was legitimate. The letter stated, "It is inconceivable that anyone would think that, by using the seal,The Onion intends to 'convey ... sponsorship or approval' by the president", but then went on to ask that the letter be considered a formal application requesting permission to use the seal.[89][252][253]
During the85th Academy Awards, a post onThe Onion's Twitter account called 9-year-oldBest Actress nomineeQuvenzhané Wallis "acunt". The post was deleted within an hour, but not before hundreds of angry responses.[254] CEO Steve Hannah issued an apology to Wallis and theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, calling the remarks "crude and offensive" and "No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire."[255] Scott Dikkers—who was Vice President Creative Development for the publication at the time—said in an interview withNBC 5 Chicago that the publication had sent an apology note to Quvenzhané and her family but also stated, "She's a big star now. I think she can take it."[256] The publication's public apology was denounced by some formerOnion writers, with one stating, "It wasn't a great joke, but big deal."[254][255][256][257]
In 2013,The Onion published an article detailing the introduction of a recent promotion atSubway themed around theSeptember 11 attacks, where customers could supposedly get two footlong subs for $9.11. This article was accompanied by an ad that depicted a man flying towards two sub sandwiches (arranged to depict thetwin towers) along with further offensive jokes around the attacks. The ad quickly circulated around the internet and gathered much criticism as it led customers to believe it was official.
Subway responded on Twitter with a statement reading: "Like everyone, we are deeply offended by the fake story and ad created byThe Onion." However, the hoax again came under some scrutiny when YouTuberTravis Northrup posted a video where he printed out the ad and presented it as a coupon when ordering at his local Subway in San Francisco. To his surprise, the coupon was accepted. This video caused some backlash due to some believing that Subway was honoring the hoax, but many still saw it as a humorous situation.[258][259]
On June 16, 2017,The Onion featured an article describing professional wrestlerBig Show being killed byWWE after a seven-year-old boy wandered into asteel cage during alive event inIndianapolis. The article, meant to lampoon the real-life killing ofHarambe, a gorilla in a Cincinnati zoo, received criticism for satirizing the murder of an actual person as well as leading some fans to believe Big Show was dead.[260]
On October 3, 2022,The Onion filed its firstamicus curiae brief with theSupreme Court of the United States in the case ofNovak v. City of Parma.[261][262]The Onion supported thecertiorari petition of Anthony Novak, who was seeking civil damages after having been arrested and unsuccessfully prosecuted over a Facebook page parodying the page of the Parma Police Department.[263]The Onion's brief contained numerous jokes, including a claimed readership of 4.3 trillion,[263] a remark that "the federal judiciary is staffed entirely by total Latin dorks",[261] and a boast regardingJonathan Swift that "its writers are far more talented, and their output will be read long after that hack Swift's has been lost to the sands of time".[264] The brief noted the paper's Latin motto asTu stultus es ("You are stupid").[265]
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^abGenshaft, Jodi (May 13, 2002)."Onion Q & A: Robert Siegel".The Daily Northwestern.Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. RetrievedJune 30, 2015.
^Fierman, Daniel (October 13, 2000)."Funny Farm: 'The Onion'".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. RetrievedJune 24, 2015.
^Leigh, Danny (November 22, 2000)."Read 'em and weep".The Guardian.Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. RetrievedJune 25, 2015.
^Goodridge, Mike (October 1, 2001)."Know your Onions".The Irish Times.Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. RetrievedJune 27, 2015.
^Berkowitz, Amy (February 19, 2001)."Onion Weeps For Shoshanna".The New York Observer.Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. RetrievedJune 25, 2015.
^abSchechner, Sam (March 23, 2007)."Press 'Play' for Satire".The Wall Street Journal.Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. RetrievedJune 25, 2015.
^Siegel, Robert (July 22, 2009)."A New Owner For 'The Onion'?". NPR: All Things Considered.Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. RetrievedJune 24, 2015.
^Restuccia, Andrew (May 20, 2018)."How Trump changed everything for The Onion".Politico.Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. RetrievedMay 20, 2018.Cohen was fuming over a satirical article published under Trump's name with the headline, "When You're Feeling Low, Just Remember I'll Be Dead In About 15 Or 20 Years". On Trump's behalf, Cohen demanded that The Onion immediately remove the article and apologize. "This commentary goes way beyond defamation and, if not immediately removed, I will take all actions necessary to ensure your actions do not go without consequence", Cohen wrote, according to a copy of the email provided to POLITICO. "Guide yourself accordingly."
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