The Madness of Believing: A Memoir from Inside Alex Jones's Conspiracy Machine

by Josh Owens

An unvarnished and immersive dive into the world of conspiracy theories, propaganda, and disinformation from Alex Jones’ former righthand man at Infowars.

At twenty-four-years old, Josh Owens was a college dropout who had already been listening to Alex Jones for five years. Originally drawn in by Jones' entertaining personality and anti-establishment stance, Josh soon came to suspect that vaccines were dangerous, that fluoride in drinking water lowered IQ levels, and a wide range of other far-fetched conspiracies. When the opportunity arose to work for Jones, he jumped at it, packing up his life and moving halfway across the country to start his first job as an adult.

THE MADNESS OF BELIEVING follows Josh’s experience working at Infowars, where he became one of Jones’ most trusted employees. He began traveling across the world creating “news” stories and spreading outright lies to Infowars’ ever-growing listener base. As he rose through the ranks, his skepticism grew, and Josh underwent a personal transformation just as Infowars too changed from a fringe community to a mainstream disinformation machine.

Josh’s story is one playing out across that of impressionable young people pulled into a dangerous world where reality and fiction are blurred, and extremist beliefs gain steam. THE MADNESS OF BELIEVING is a reckoning with this climate, one that provides riveting insight into these supposedly radical, truth-driven organizations while exposing their dangerous false claims and lies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, True Crime, History

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2026

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published April 14, 2036.

4 stars

So, Alex Jones. He’s an insane man.

Here’s the story of a young man who worked for him and slowly went from true believer (although he doesn’t really cop to that, you can tell that he was) to “well, maybe this guy’s not so legit” to “Dear God, I have to get away from this man and his craziness.”

If you don’t know who Alex Jones really a he’s the ultra-far-right conspiracy theorist who is likely best known for calling Sandy Hook a hoax. Many of the families sued Jones and, for his trouble, having a jury(?-I think it was a jury and not a bench trial) found in their favor, awarding them somewhere around $1.5 billion dollars. BILLION. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

So, here, the author was a film student before going to work for Jones, and he was also a big believer in conspiracy theories…in fact he entered a contest to work for Jones, God help us. We are with the author as he becomes part of Jones’s inner circle and he works with Jones and his show though the Bundy ranch standoff, Ferguson, lots of border angst, San Bernardino, Trump’s 2016 Presidential run and more.

Even while the author is still fairly enamored of Jones he.ms presented as chaotic, out of control, hot tempered and seems to have a serious problem with alcohol. That’s all in addition to his racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, xenophobia, and, well, his general dislike of everyone who isn’t a white American man. He’s simply vile. Frankly, the author is fairly bad too, for making as many excuses as he did. Why his girlfriend stood by him is beyond me. However, the book was an interesting read.

[Jack Darida · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He wasn't a hero, or even a villain, but a flawed human being who was a victim to his own narcissistic inability to see beyond himself."

Josh Owens spent four years filming and following Alex Jones around. His memoir of those years is somewhat maddening. By the end of the book he asks the question the reader asks throughout the journey... Why? Why did he stay with Jones for so long? Why didn't he leave when it became obvious that Jones was a compulsive liar, alcoholic, and conspiracy monger? Was it the money? Was he brainwashed? He suffers through equal parts of desire to be accepted by Jones and revulsion. He knows better. He knows that the stories are fabricated. He knows that lives are harmed by the implications of belief in those stories. Yet he continues.

The memoir is worth reading as a cautionary tale. Men like Alex Jones are dangerous. The lack of conscience along with the concoction of false narratives pushed out to naive listeners is appalling. But people followed wholeheartedly to the detriment of truth. Even Jones didn't believe the tripe he peddled. But attention and affluence was more valuable than honesty in Infowars.

Finally, after months and months of doing Jones' bidding, Owens finds a way out. He says...

"I didn't want to hate people who were different than me, those whose lives consisted of distinct circumstances and experiences devoid of my opinions and criticisms. I wanted to be better."

Will this book change the minds of Alex Jones believers? Unlikely. It will appeal to those who could see through the deceit. It will serve to document the threat of extreme narcissism. Perhaps the memoir along with his other projects will assuage the author's guilt.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the advance review copy through NetGalley.

[Gabriel Maracle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book for people marginally familiar with Inforwars. For listeners of Knowledge Fight, its nothing really new other than a first person view of the experience. For people who are marinating their brain in this stuff, it really highlights what Alex Jones is like as a personality.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shout out to NetGalley & the publisher for letting me get to read this book. As a devoted cult reader, apparently an American citizen & a big time hater I could not resist trying my hand at getting this book. So now I’m going to be dumping all my thoughts on this, buckle up sweaty.

Josh Owens was a video editor & field producer for Alex Jones during 2013-2017, one might argue some of the most pivotal time for the rise of InfoWars (shout out to Tim Heidecker for being the new info guy). The story follows the beginning of Josh’s relationship with InfoWars, the erratic behavior of Jones as he rose to a position as a pillar of the conspiracy world & honestly a LOT of shenanigans.

The book starts off with a very telling Flannery O’Connor quote that set the whole vibe, “You have to quit confusing a madness with a mission.”

If I could pick just a single quote, this would be a perfect example of the environment in the InfoWars offices. Immediately, after a cutthroat competition to get the position Josh moved himself to Austin to begin this next chapter of his life. We are met with this blacked out office with no discernable identity & a man wearing a fanny pack trying to weed out the “crazies”. After this beginning interaction, I felt like I had all the info I needed to know I would have turned around but hey, that’s me. In the beginning of the book, Josh explains that the way he found his way into Jones’s orbit was after a rewatch of Dr. Strangelove that turned into a conversation about fluoride in the water in 2008 & the friend he was watching the movie with asked him if he’d ever heard of Jones. Quickly, the conversation turned to how swallowing a glob of fluoride riddled toothpaste warrants a call to the poison center but that the “unknown amount” in water was somehow perfect for us to drink; after this, Josh decided to start to learn more about Jones.

Gonna drop some Jones lore here before we get invested. In the late 90’s Alex Jones was a personality on Austin radio, a big part of his early popularity rose from his very early ideals about the Waco siege & the Oklahoma City bombing. He started the show after the Branch Davidian incident, then when the Oklahoma bombing happened on the second anniversary of the shooting Jones started his real tirade of accusing the government for causing both incidents & even tried to build a NEW church of Branch Davidians in 1998. Even after nearly winning best talk show host in 1999 he was fired shortly after, which is when he started InfoWars with his (then) wife & started using it to sell conspiracy-oriented docs. Soon he was using the site to do more than just sell the documentaries but as his outlet for his fake news.

Anyway moving on…

READ THE REST ON MY SUBSTACK :)

[Rielee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, but nothing truly groundbreaking. I don’t think anything that was divulged in this memoir was something I didn’t already know about or could’ve easily guessed about Alex Jones. It’s not shocking to hear he treated his employees badly. He’s very clearly a raging alcoholic.

Josh holds himself accountable, but in a way that feels very lackluster. It seems that he knew pretty much the entire time that Alex Jones sucked and just continued to work for him for years because he didn’t want to do the work of leaving. He also felt important because of his work with Alex Jones, amassed a lot of self worth from that fact while knowing he didn’t support his ideals? Idk.

I respect his willingness to talk about his faults, but ultimately this was mostly a nothing burger and probably would’ve been more interesting and impactful to read if it were published anywhere from 2017-2021.

[Angie Cosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Big Careless People vibes but with Infowars. A former employee telling all, but unlike Careless People you can see how, while influential, Alex Jones is a hot mess. Infowars is even a more low budget joke than I had imagined. The author also seems a bit more self aware but still made no sense why he didn’t quit earlier.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always knew Alex Jones was nuts, but I didn’t realize some of the lengths he went to with his radio and YouTube show. This book is very eye-opening in regard to what everyday people can do to incite violence, even when it’s totally illogical.

[Carter Kalchik · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Review of an ARC)

It's strange to be writing this today, May 4th, 2026, the day that we found out that Knowledge Fight is ending. If you want to deeply understand Alex Jones and Infowars that will never be a better resource than their podcast. But... it's like 2,000 hours of audio. Months of audio. Mountains. And I fear that wading through so much of it could drive you mad.

The Madness of Believing is a trim 271 pages and gives you just the highlights, "from the inside." I don't think there's much of anything in here that you wouldn't already know if you were a Knowledge Fight listener, but (again), 2,000 hours. The only thing that you wouldn't directly get from KF is an acknowledgment of something that Dan and Jordan often pondered: that Alex Jones doesn't actually want to do this. That's what Owens claims in the second to last chapter -- Jones called him and told him that he understands why he left and he would leave too, if not for wanting to support all the people who work for him. I mean, let's be real, that can't be true. Not entirely. Anyone with Jones's issues and money would also want to keep going just because there's no other way to be Jones. There's a sick, twisted sense of honor in being Alex Jones. But it's an insight that Jordan and Dan came to without hearing it directly from Jones: the man must be miserable. And he was. And he still is.

And yet, so many were so deeply harmed by him. Yes, the families of the Sandy Hook victims. But also every listener who was defrauded by Jones's schemes. And Josh Owens was, too. It can be a little difficult to sympathize with him if you aren't familiar with high control/cult cultures. And remember, the book was written after he left. But it does sting to read how he was making $90,000 to promote Jones. It's hard to feel sorry for him. Owens frequently tells you not to, though. That he was wrong, he wished it had been different. And it all sounds like the right thing. But a part of me does wonder how wrong he really feels it was.

Dan and Jordan could have continued making KF, could have kept their current livelihoods, but they ultimately quit before their issues became insurmountable. It's bitter medicine but ultimately honorable. Was Josh Owens honorable? It's hard to say. I believe he may believe he was. But I believe Alex Jones also believes he's honorable.

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book. And I was disappointed. This excerpt from a Guardian article sums up my reasoning pretty well:

“Why was I there? Why did I do these things? Why did I stick around for so long?” Owens said to NPR. “I don’t have all the answers now, but I think exploring it and asking those questions and taking accountability was just sort of part of the process.” ("Ex-Alex Jones employee reflects on job at Infowars: 'It was nonsense. It was lies' ", The Guardian, April 1, 2026).

This is supposed to be a memoir of Owens's time at Infowars, which would be extremely interesting. And while he does give a lot of examples of f*cked up sh*t he and his fellow employees did while in Jones's employ, there is so little analysis of his beliefs or why he was willing to do what he did, that I was just... bored. This book is also a bit dated -- he left InfoWars during the first Trump administration, so I'm unsure why it took so long for this book to come out if he hasn't taken the time to reflect on what led him there, what kept him there, and what ultimately made him leave. When he started, Jones was not the celebrity he is today; at this point we know the majority of Jones's disconnect from reality.

Another frustration, Owens almost never talks about the Sandy Hook situation. I would say this is because he probably is somewhat connected to litigation in some way, but he was in the documentary about the lawsuit against Jones... so I don't understand.

Did I feel compelled to read the entire book? Yes. But it was because I was looking for an analysis from Owens that never came.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 7 of 2026 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Josh Owens for an ARC of The Madness of Believing: A Memoir from Inside Alex Jones’s Conspiracy Machine by Josh Owens in exchange for my honest review.

I’ll start off by saying this was not an easy read in the sense that I found it extremely frustrating. Props to Josh Owens for being so candid in this book. Like many other readers, I was impressed by the fact that his girlfriend stood by him and continually tried to get him to break out of working for Alex Jones. I have SO MANY thoughts about Alex Jones, but I’ll just stick to thoughts on the book here.

The Madness of Believing chronicles Josh Owens’s further and further involvement in Alex Jones & InfoWars orbit. Owens joined InfoWars when it was still considered fringe, and was with Jones until InfoWars became more mainstream (to the detriment of us all).

Owens is very forthright about being drawn into the space, struggling with his (always) conflicting feelings about being involved in InfoWars, and peddling straight-up conspiracies.

I hope that this book ends up in the hands of the people who need it the most, but something tells me that won’t happen as often as I’d like.

4/5 ⭐️ - I can’t say this was an enjoyable read, but I am glad I read it. This book is scheduled to be released on 4/14/26. #TheMadnessofBelieving #NetGalley

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am uncertain about how I feel about this and how I should rate it.

If you are interested in what Infowars truly was and is, I think this book is a solid source. The dates of Owens's employment were perfect for an expose. Being there for the initial uptick in public attention, Infowars transformation into a supplement hawker, Jones's embrace of Trump, and deterioration due to alcoholism.

Owens takes ownership of this role in creating and spreading the harmful propaganda. He details his internal battle with the manipulation, the deception, and the creeping realization of the hate underlying Jones's rhetoric and worldview. However, this acceptance and understanding came late and signals a cowardice or lack of true consideration.

The hate inside Alex Jones was obvious in 2008. It was his conclusion to everything. Jones formed his narratives to get there. He absolutely hid this better than he does now but anyone in his miserable listening orbit had to know. Working for the man in 2013? Come on.

Sandy Hook is glaring absent in this book. This weighs heavy on the legacy and history of Alex Jones and Infowars. Owens does not discuss his role (or lack of role) in the spreading of harm and sorrow. It would be an awful matter to discuss. Any role played would be sickening. But Owens swallowed that poison when he accepted a job.

[Alicia Garcia-Webster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pure unadulterated literary clickbait. And I use the term "literary" here in a very broad, expansive sense. Honestly, how can someone have worked with Alex Jones for FOUR YEARS and not managed to come up with even ONE scintillating detail??? How, I ask you??? Instead, we get to hear about how the author earned $96,000/yr, was wined and dined on the regular, lied on his resume (Re: his camera skills) yet still felt crestfallen when called out on his constant ineptitude, how all his coworkers were simultaneously idiots but also good friends, and most bizarrely how he was afraid all the time of everyone, anyone, his own shadow, etc. I am guessing that someone offered him a fair sum of money if he could conjure up something exciting about Alex Jones (is there such a thing?), and having failed to produce that, the author gave us instead your standard existential slop (I don't know who I am, what I do, where I'm going, what time it is, what is life, etc). If you want a salacious expose on Alex Jones, dear reader, you have come to the wrong place. But if you want a rambling, incoherent journal of a shiftless, aimless, and directionless young man, then, by all means, pick up a copy at your local bookseller. **I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway, but all opinions are my own.

[Nicholas Lalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super engrossing book. I've never watched a single Alex Jones podcast episode or consumed his content but I was fairly familiar with the harm his work was responsible for.

After reading this, I'm shocked by how much more direct harm this man's rhetoric and grift was responsible for. It truly boggles the mind.

I honestly think this was very fairly written. I mean. You can't get fairer than someone who entered the space very much a supporter and believer, whose opinion over time gradually was opened up after exposure to the ugly truth.

It was clear by the end of reading this that, like all humans, Alex Jones is not one-dimensional. Some things that are beyond the pale however are that he absolutely is abusive, manipulative and peddled a whole lot of bullshit that much of it he did not believe and used specifically for the purposes of misdirection and grifting.

One of the most common arguments I hear for him is that he might be wrong but he in earnest believes what he's saying. No. Much of the time he didn't believe it at all.

Definitely recommend you read.

[Jen Juenke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its hard to really rate this.
On one hand its exactly as I was expecting. A lot of chaos with Alex Jones.

The other hand, I am still shaking my head as to why it took so long for the author to leave InfoWars.

The author suggests that he struggled with what he was doing, yet he continued.

The author never really comes out and apologizes for the chaos that he helped create. Yet, if not for the author, it would have been someone else.

I really didn't get the "madness" of believing. I think that he got caught up in something, when he was younger and NOW wants to write about it.

It was an easy read, nothing hard to figure out what he was doing.

I am not even certain who this book is for? I know it won't be for fans of ALex Jones, though the author never says anything really terrible about him.

Thank you to the publisher and NEtgalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review .

[KATIE MEYERS · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Madness of Believing is a gripping and eye opening memoir that offers a rare, inside perspective on the world of conspiracy media and disinformation. Josh Owens presents a personal journey that is both compelling and deeply reflective.

What makes this book stand out is its focus on the psychological and emotional progression of belief. The author’s transformation from curiosity to involvement to eventual skepticism adds depth and authenticity to the narrative.

The memoir also provides valuable insight into how misinformation systems operate and how individuals can become deeply embedded within them. It balances personal storytelling with broader social commentary in a way that feels accessible and thought-provoking.

A powerful and timely read that encourages reflection on belief, influence, and the modern information landscape.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 3.5 stars; this is a first book that took courage to write. I always appreciate when people who've left various terrible situations tell their stories, especially when there is an NDA involved. I wish there had been more self-reflection, and more information about what it was like to be, at first, a true believer. I just wanted...more? More discussions of what led to the author to stay and leave. But the descriptions of deceit and lies were facinating and upsetting. The stories about Jones behind the scenes are not that surprising, considering how he acts in front of all of America every day. I enjoyed the parts with Jon Ronson, a journalist I've always enjoyed reading. Overall, I recommend it, although you might finish a little unsatisfied. I think the writer should be proud of how far he's come.

[Laura Pakaln · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Well written and engaging. It should be read by everyone who believes in conspiracy theories to see how they (the theories) are born and spun, and how easily someone can get you to believe the most insane ideas if you LET them! I'm sure that Josh Owens wishes that he had written the book sooner, or perhaps had never been a witness and a participant in Alex Jones's madness to begin with. Even though it did not put the final nail into Alex Jones's proverbial coffin, it did help to shed light and strengthen legal cases against him. Sadly, Jones is not the only destructive, repugnant
liar out there with a megaphone. May they all be exposed for who and what they really are.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Madness of Believing is a look into the chaos that is Info Wars and Alex Jones' tactics to stoke high emotions in his audience as well as employees. As someone who knows more than average about Alex Jones (due to podcasts like Knowledge Fight ), I still learned a bit about how Jones pressures employees to "find" evidence that fits the narratives he wants to push and how his "money bomb" fundraisers work. I do think some people might be disappointed in how long it took Owens to leave. To me it wasn't surprising because of the cult-like atmosphere within Info Wars, Jones pays his senior employees well, and you're not getting a normie job in the journalism space with Info Wars on your resume.

[S C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything written about Alex Jones in this book might be true, but the author comes off as a total crybaby. He associated with Jones for a long time by his own volition. And the idea that he’s changed is ridiculous. He’s the same person, just moved from one extreme to another in his pandering beliefs. His life still revolves around Alex Jones. He just went from making a living working with Jones to doing so by criticizing him.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I wish Owens had been more emotional in this telling of his story, it's still a good read and will show you a lot about Alex Jones and his crazy world. I was surprised to see how much the people who worked there seemed to understand that the whole thing was bogus. And how needlessly cruel they were to each other.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine memoir. It was interesting and was definitely a quick read. If you're a listener of Knowledge Fight or have followed the news around his Sandy Hook trials, it will mostly be review but there were some interesting new bits of information. On the other hand, there was also some recurring bits about Alex Jones' gastrointestinal distress which in my opinion could have probably been edited out.

Overall, a solid memoir with some weird parts.

[Laura Tyrone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a hard time rating anything that’s a personal narrative, but I did have a lot of thoughts about Josh’s story. I got frustrated reading because while he is very apologetic for his role at Infowars and his contribution to the misinformation economy, he doesn’t really talk about how his feelings of lacking any agency in his choices were pretty unfounded. I will say that I think it’s so important for people to tell these stories and even more so for us to listen.

[Lissa00 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I had a lot of the same feelings while reading this book as I did while reading “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams. We need to know what happens behind the scenes with these unscrupulous and evil people…but why’d you stay so long? I thought this well written, though, and provided good insight. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Nicole Pi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Information is interesting. Perhaps I've just read too many ghost-written autobiographies, because my forefront thought is that Owens is simply not a talented writer. Regardless, I think it's brave of him to come forward with his story.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the eARC!

[Maggie Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't expecting this to be so heartfelt. Highly recommend for anyone concerned about the current state of the country and the world. Surprisingly hopeful!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want more reasons to hate Alex Jones, read this.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean I knew the guy was a tad insane going in, but it’s nice to have receipts

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Jones is mentally ill, extremely stupid, and a bad boss? Groundbreaking!

[Amanda (Tholke) Hollenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧