In Good Faith With Philip DeFranco
Episode: Satire Is Back With The CEO of The Onion
Date: November 20, 2025
Guest: Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion

Episode Overview

In this episode, Philip DeFranco sits down with Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion and former NBC disinformation reporter, to dive deep into the state of satire, independent media, news industry cynicism, the failed Elon Musk-Onion bid, and the ongoing struggles—and hopes—of newsmaking in 2025. They tackle the ongoing Infowars saga, AI’s impact on journalism and comedy, America’s increasing sense that “everything is a scam,” the rise of parasocial bonds online, gambling’s societal normalization, and what authentic resistance and hope look like in a fractured media landscape.

Key Topics & Insights

The Infowars Acquisition Saga (00:32–02:43)

• Status of Infowars Purchase
  • Collins confirms they’re still pursuing ownership of Infowars, but the process is mired in legal purgatory due to Alex Jones’ obstructions and the “toxic baggage” associated with the brand.
  • Quote:
    “Alex Jones is like the Michael Jordan of being a piece of shit to the court system. He’s relentless in terms of trying to evade justice.” – Ben Collins (00:51)
  • Collins reflects on the unique situation: they’re among the only interested parties intending to use the site for positive change.

Elon Musk’s Onion Obsession (02:43–04:20)

• Musk previously tried (and failed) to buy The Onion, instead “picking off staffers” to start a doomed project named “Thud.”
• Quote:
  “He wanted to buy The Onion because he wanted to be cool, man.” – Ben Collins (03:16)
• Musk’s pattern of acquisition is linked more to ego than calculated strategy.
• Musk's efforts predate his Twitter (now X) purchase but cast a shadow over his current reputation.

Becoming a Disinformation Reporter: Personal Motivation (04:20–08:54)

• Collins was drawn into disinformation reporting after witnessing online conspiracy abuse directed at a friend whose girlfriend was murdered on live TV, the first instance of a murder livestreamed on Facebook.
• Coverage focused on the weaponization of online platforms—conspiracy theories attacking marginalized groups (trans people, immigrants) whose lack of societal power makes them vulnerable.
• Quote:
  “I just never stopped covering those kinds of people. …Conspiracy theorists, people who had really hijacked how Americans consume information.” – Ben Collins (05:41)
• Explains the difference:
  • Misinformation: Spread unknowingly.
  • Disinformation: Deliberate, targeted campaigns to harm or criminalize.

The Impact of Mainstream Media’s Failings (09:11–16:30)

• Satire’s power: The Onion can “say the unsaid things that are rattling around in people’s brains.”
• Declining courage in traditional press:
  • Major outlets (esp. Washington Post, CBS) have “capitulated” to corporate pressure and billionaire owners.
  • Many great reporters have been fired or silenced.
• Quote:
  “The Washington Post is the most egregious. They are doing the bidding of their billionaire owner.” – Ben Collins (10:55)
• “True” reporters face two choices: keep their head down or go independent—Collins sees hope in the latter.

The Rise (and Risks) of Independent Media (16:30–19:40)

• The quality and impact of independent journalism have never been higher, as whistleblowers and sources seek out fearless reporters outside mainstream outlets.
• Classic journalism practices—like alerting targets well in advance—now risk allowing power to “go on offense.”
• Quote:
  “If I am a regular human being whistleblower, I’m not going to go to the guy who gives the White House 2 weeks to comment ... I’m going to go to Marissa at The Handbasket, who’s going to report the shit out of this thing and then call the White House at the very last second.” – Ben Collins (17:27)

AI’s Impact on Journalism and Satire (19:40–22:06)

• Layoffs, Not Innovation: AI has been used to justify firing journalists, but “it cannot call somebody and get information,” can’t build sources, and can’t write genuinely funny jokes for satire.
• Quote:
  “AI cannot write a joke. It’s just straight up bad at it.” – Ben Collins (20:22)
• At The Onion, AI is not used creatively at all; human inefficiency is a core feature, not a bug.

American Life as a Scam: The Satirical Lens (22:43–24:48)

• Collins expands on his view that “everything in American life is a scam”—from gambling to MLMs to boner pills.
• The economy is built on speculation and side hustles rather than substance.
• The Onion’s role is to mercilessly lampoon the absurdities and scams omnipresent in American life.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Revisiting the “Balloon Kid” saga as an early symbol of news spectacle and American gullibility (24:01).

Normalization of Online Gambling & Societal Dangers (26:04–31:22)

• Podcast host Philip DeFranco discusses distancing himself from gambling sponsors after seeing the real harm caused.
• Collins explains how prediction markets, once academic, have ballooned into unregulated, easily-manipulated systems with dangerous real-world incentives—even potentially endangering politicians’ lives.
• Quote:
  “You could nerf a candidacy and just say of a small-time person just to win 100, 200 bucks with just, you know, a random rumor you put on Facebook...” – Ben Collins (28:12)

The Hopeful Case for Independent Creators & Analog Community (31:22–44:20)

• Collins highlights the newspaper revival: The Onion, now the 11th biggest newspaper in the U.S., has 55,000 print subscribers—most revenue comes from physical newspapers, not clickbait ads.
• Dropout (ex-College Humor) lauded as a success story of “good” parasocial relationships leading to in-person, communal experiences.
• Quote:
  “We brought back the newspaper, which had been dead for 11 years—and now we are the 11th biggest newspaper in the United States in a year. …People like getting it in their hands.” – Ben Collins (43:00)
• The push to get people off screens, back into the real world; a “primal sense” of community rising in resistance to manufactured outrage.

Crafting Good Satire in the Outrage Era (45:43–47:28)

• True satire works at “1.25 speed”—just a bit ahead of reality and speaks the unsaid out loud.
• The Onion’s process is “ruthlessly inefficient”: the writers pitch 160 headlines a day to produce one or two, so “The Onion doesn’t miss” publicly because so much is filtered and fought over.
• Quote:
  “Every weekday, 15 writers come in with 10 headlines each… You’re working with 160 headlines. And then they needle that down to, like, one every day… We miss all the time. We miss 159 out of 160 times. ...It's just not public.” – Ben Collins (34:12)

The State of the Right & MAGA Civil War (47:28–52:58)

• The far-right is splitting; Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nick Fuentes seize the “first available offramp to power,” echoing old-school, now open bigotry.
• Collins fears they’re winning because they understand the Internet and information manipulation best.
• Quote:
  “The Overton window has shifted so far… those people have been able to establish a lot of things that aren’t true as true... [They] have incredible power, and I just don’t write them off.” – Ben Collins (51:18)

Who Has “The Juice” on the Left? (53:00–57:11)

• No clear candidate with genuine strength and moral clarity, though “there’s a lot of juice on the left.”
• Collins notes disillusionment and identity fatigue in the progressive base but holds out for authentic leadership.
• On strength:
  “Strength is believing in something and actually believing it. ...I am a Democrat. It's the closest thing to human rights that I can get.” – Ben Collins (57:02)

Pain, Empathy, and the Path Forward (58:50–64:45)

• Trump-era pain may teach empathy and galvanize change, but only if people witness and process the suffering.
• The path out is connection, community, and doing the tough work of rebuilding locally and personally.
• Quote:
  “This is the point of being alive, is feeling the deep, dark stuff and trying to verbalize it and trying to bring it together and bring people around to your cause.” – Ben Collins (63:13)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Alex Jones & Infowars:
  “If you try to buy Infowars, you just inherit the harassment campaign with it.” – Ben Collins (01:27)

• On The Onion’s Staff Philosophy:
  “My job is to make sure our writer’s room at the Onion gets to say exactly what they want to say, and there’s no space pervert above us that tells us not to do it.” – Ben Collins (09:19)

• On Corporate Media Capitulation:
  “...almost all of these mainstream places have to some extent capitulated because of larger corporate concerns.” – Ben Collins (13:36)

• On the Role of the Next Generation:
  “If you’re a young journalist…you’re about to be a very prestigious and well-received journalist when this wave of capitulation ends…” – Ben Collins (31:26)

• On Print Revival at The Onion:
  “If you like The Onion, you should get a newspaper in the mail. …We just shut it off [ads]. …Within three and a half months, we turned those [clickbait ads] off.” – Ben Collins (41:35)

• On Satire’s Role in Hard Times:
  “We’re just going to keep punching up at power. Like we have no, we have nobody telling us no. …If you think something should be in the newspaper and you’re not reading it about the people in power, we’re probably …saying it.” – Ben Collins (45:27)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Infowars Acquisition & Alex Jones – 00:32–02:43
• Elon Musk and The Onion/Thud Fiasco – 02:43–04:20
• Collins’ Disinfo Beat Origin Story – 04:20–08:54
• Disinformation vs. Misinformation Explainer – 07:08–08:54
• Mainstream Media’s Decline & Capitulation – 09:51–14:21
• Hope in Independent Journalism – 14:21–16:30
• Reporters & Risk Aversion in Modern News – 16:30–19:40
• AI and Layoffs in Media & Comedy – 19:40–22:06
• Everything is a Scam, Satirical Lens – 22:43–24:48
• Gambling’s Normalization & Dangers – 26:04–31:22
• Return to Analog, Print, and In-Person Community – 31:22–44:20
• On Crafting Good Satire at The Onion – 45:43–47:28
• MAGA Civil War & the Rising Far-Right – 47:28–52:58
• Who Has the Juice on the Left? – 53:00–57:11
• Pain-Induced Empathy as a Societal Teacher – 58:50–64:45

The Episode’s Tone

Ben Collins is sardonic, direct, and darkly optimistic. He balances candid, expletive-laced critiques of media failings, corporate cynicism, and American absurdity, with unexpected hope for grassroots journalism, analog community, real-world comedy, and young people’s potential to build solidarity. DeFranco’s questions probe systemic issues but also dwell on practical realities (addiction, parenthood, algorithmic cynicism), creating a free-flowing but pointed conversation.

For Listeners: Core Takeaways

• The future of trustworthy information is becoming more decentralized—driven by independent reporters, satire, and in-person community rather than legacy institutions or AI.
• Everything feels like a scam, from the economy to news to online relationships, so authenticity and human connection (even in comedy) are more important than ever.
• The fight against manipulation, capitulation, and rising extremism is exhausting, but Collins believes the current “rock bottom” offers space for real rebuilding—if people are willing to step up, both in journalism and in community.
• Satire is not dead; it’s essential, thriving, and—when done right—a corrective to both corporate and authoritarian absurdity.

Recommended for anyone interested in the crossroads of comedy, media, technology, and the relentless search for truth (and hope) in a cynical age.