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The Onion Story
How a Band of Misfits, Dropouts, and Sad Sacks Built the World's Most Trusted News Source
Published by Matt Holt Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
“Dikkers’ comedic voice, so integral to creating the distinctive Onion style, lends to a mixture of journalistic verve and an authentically confessional account of long nights and betting on your own talents. Fans of The Onion will relish revisiting some of its best stories and headlines while witnessing its constant reinvention as the media landscape itself continues to evolve.” —Booklist
The Onion’s longtime co-owner and longest-serving editor-in-chief Scott Dikkers regales readers with never-before-told anecdotes from the beloved satiric newsroom in this celebration of creativity, resilience, and the transformative power of jokes delivered in AP style.
In this laugh-out-loud origin story of a world-renowned satirist and “America’s Finest News Source” Scott Dikkers treats you to a rollicking trip through the 80s, 90s, and 00s, chronicling the inception, evolution, and success of The Onion from his view at the helm. With his famous wit and wisdom Dikkers chronicles the paper’s founding, run-ins with the law, scrapes with death, and raving-mad antics of its staff in chapters like:
If you’ve ever been duped into believing an Onion headline, or simply laughed to avoid crying at how closely its fake news articles resembled reality, get a first-person view from the mastermind himself of the publication’s unparalleled legacy as the world’s most trusted news source, celebrated for its fearless commitment to truth-telling under the guise of satire.
The Onion’s longtime co-owner and longest-serving editor-in-chief Scott Dikkers regales readers with never-before-told anecdotes from the beloved satiric newsroom in this celebration of creativity, resilience, and the transformative power of jokes delivered in AP style.
In this laugh-out-loud origin story of a world-renowned satirist and “America’s Finest News Source” Scott Dikkers treats you to a rollicking trip through the 80s, 90s, and 00s, chronicling the inception, evolution, and success of The Onion from his view at the helm. With his famous wit and wisdom Dikkers chronicles the paper’s founding, run-ins with the law, scrapes with death, and raving-mad antics of its staff in chapters like:
- Childhood Trauma Mined for Cheap Laugh
- Hurriedly Collected Life Savings Invested Wisely
- Stop Put to All This Horseplay
- Award-winning Local Author Inspired, Drunk
- Look, Area Man on TV
- Office Internet Briefly Used for Work
If you’ve ever been duped into believing an Onion headline, or simply laughed to avoid crying at how closely its fake news articles resembled reality, get a first-person view from the mastermind himself of the publication’s unparalleled legacy as the world’s most trusted news source, celebrated for its fearless commitment to truth-telling under the guise of satire.
Product Details
- Publisher: Matt Holt Books (October 28, 2025)
- Length: 288 pages
- ISBN13: 9781637747520
Raves and Reviews
“Scott Dikkers is one of American comedy’s superheroes, and The Onion Story is his origin story—hilarious, inspiring, and impossible to put down.”
—Andy Borowitz, New York Times Bestselling Author and Winner of the National Press Club Award for Humor
“No one is more qualified to write a history of The Onion than Scott, and I’ve truly enjoyed reliving some of those ridiculous days through his delightfully capable chronicle.”
—Dan Vebber, Co-Executive Producer, The Simpsons
“The complete story of the glorious rise of The Onion by the man more responsible for it than anyone.”
—David Javerbaum, 13-time Emmy Award Winner, and former Writer, The Onion
“Essential reading for anyone who's laughed at the news—and wondered how absurdity conquered journalism.”
—James Breakwell, Comedy Writer and Author, Only Dead on the Inside
“You’d expect a memoir by the prime mover of The Onion to be witty, and it is. You’d expect it to be sharply observed, and it is. You wouldn’t necessarily expect The Onion Story to be poignant and personal, but oh, it is—and it’s a revelation.”
—Dean Robbins, Author, Wisconsin Idols
“I devoured this book in one sitting! Scott Dikkers’s story of how he escaped small town hell to help build one of the most enduring comedy brands is fascinating and inspiring.”
—Rich Dahm, Co-Executive Producer, The Colbert Report and The Middle, and former Onion Editor
“Satire is the truth about the news. The Onion was and still is the candle in the darkness. And if you want the truth about the truth, READ THIS BOOK.”
—Ken Artis, former Legal Counsel, The Onion
“This is the Onion origin story we’ve been waiting for! Scott has rummaged deep into his memory and done his research to create an engrossing, detailed, and funny book recounting the true origin of this now revered humor institution and the interesting cast of characters around it.”
—Keith Webster, former Onion Columnist and Cartoonist
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