April 20, 2017

The Most Unhinged Moments from Alex Jones’ Custody Battle

Trump’s go-to conspiracy theorist is on trial—and it’s just as wild as you’d imagine.

Tamir Kalifa/Austin American-Statesman

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A rare and at times unhinged portrait of President Trump’s favorite conspiracy theorist, Infowars host Alex Jones, is emerging in an Austin court this week, as the radio star seeks to retain custody of his three children from ex-wife, Kelly Jones.

Lawyers for the bombastic broadcaster are attempting to persuade the jury that he is merely a “performance artist”, someone who should be separated from the outrageous character he plays on-air. His ex-wife is arguing the opposite: Jones in private is the same person at home and with their children that he presents to his millions of conspiracy-hungry viewers, including Trump.

Here are some of the high-lights (or low-lights, depending on your view) coming out of Austin, Texas, where the two-week trial is taking place:

1. Jones claims chili affects his memory, and thus was the culprit behind him forgetting details about his young children.

2. Marijuana is too strong these days because of billionaire financier George Soros.

3. Jones can allegedly be found frequently drunk and shirtless.

4. He’s still bitter that his 9/11 truther theories never garnered a Pulitzer award.

5. Jones was formally diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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