The Onion: 20 Years Later
@onion20.substack.com
A weekly review by @jamesdasilva.bsky.social of The Onion from 20 years ago (print and web).
Sign up for the newsletter http://onion20.substack.com. Love The Onion but not affiliated.
Sign up for the newsletter http://onion20.substack.com. Love The Onion but not affiliated.
Pinned
Wrapping up 2025 with 73 posts and 190,261 words written about The Onion’s work in 2005.
More importantly, I’ve shared thousands of Onion jokes, including hundreds that you can’t easily find online — or were never on the web.
Thanks to all of you who read, follow, like and share my work!
More importantly, I’ve shared thousands of Onion jokes, including hundreds that you can’t easily find online — or were never on the web.
Thanks to all of you who read, follow, like and share my work!
20 years ago, The Onion warned of death, romance and Wal-Mart.
What if Donald Rumsfeld hosted an informercial? Plus, jokes about Nancy Grace, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and much more. onion20.substack.com/p/february-2... #theonion #satire
What if Donald Rumsfeld hosted an informercial? Plus, jokes about Nancy Grace, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and much more. onion20.substack.com/p/february-2... #theonion #satire
20 years ago, The Onion warned of death, romance and Wal-Mart
What if Donald Rumsfeld hosted an informercial? Plus, jokes about Nancy Grace, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and much more.
onion20.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:33 PM
20 years ago, The Onion warned of death, romance and Wal-Mart.
What if Donald Rumsfeld hosted an informercial? Plus, jokes about Nancy Grace, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and much more. onion20.substack.com/p/february-2... #theonion #satire
What if Donald Rumsfeld hosted an informercial? Plus, jokes about Nancy Grace, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and much more. onion20.substack.com/p/february-2... #theonion #satire
20 years ago this week, The Onion mentioned Roger Federer for the 1st time.
Also, The Onion jokes that e-mail takes up 30% of the workday — 6 years before McKinsey confirmed this!
Much more in this look at The Onion’s web-only jokes from early February 2006.
open.substack.com/pub/onion20/...
Also, The Onion jokes that e-mail takes up 30% of the workday — 6 years before McKinsey confirmed this!
Much more in this look at The Onion’s web-only jokes from early February 2006.
open.substack.com/pub/onion20/...
Reviewing The Onion's website: Feb. 1-7, 2006
Bush celebrates Groundhog Day in Iraq, plus jokes about Roger Federer, Roger Ebert, Ed Begley Jr., cartoons depicting Muhammad, and more.
open.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:17 AM
20 years ago this week, The Onion mentioned Roger Federer for the 1st time.
Also, The Onion jokes that e-mail takes up 30% of the workday — 6 years before McKinsey confirmed this!
Much more in this look at The Onion’s web-only jokes from early February 2006.
open.substack.com/pub/onion20/...
Also, The Onion jokes that e-mail takes up 30% of the workday — 6 years before McKinsey confirmed this!
Much more in this look at The Onion’s web-only jokes from early February 2006.
open.substack.com/pub/onion20/...
Reviewing The Onion's website: Feb. 1-7, 2006.
Bush celebrates Groundhog Day in Iraq, plus jokes about Roger Federer, Roger Ebert, Ed Begley Jr., cartoons depicting Muhammad, and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Bush celebrates Groundhog Day in Iraq, plus jokes about Roger Federer, Roger Ebert, Ed Begley Jr., cartoons depicting Muhammad, and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Reviewing The Onion's website: Feb. 1-7, 2006
Bush celebrates Groundhog Day in Iraq, plus jokes about Roger Federer, Roger Ebert, Ed Begley Jr., cartoons depicting Muhammad, and more.
onion20.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Reviewing The Onion's website: Feb. 1-7, 2006.
Bush celebrates Groundhog Day in Iraq, plus jokes about Roger Federer, Roger Ebert, Ed Begley Jr., cartoons depicting Muhammad, and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Bush celebrates Groundhog Day in Iraq, plus jokes about Roger Federer, Roger Ebert, Ed Begley Jr., cartoons depicting Muhammad, and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
20 years ago today, @TheOnion.com imagined a federal Department of Corruption.
Plus, we learn about the dangers of network-TV violence invading our real lives, black boxes for balloons, BlackBerry’s legal troubles, and much more from Feb. 1, 2006!
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
Plus, we learn about the dangers of network-TV violence invading our real lives, black boxes for balloons, BlackBerry’s legal troubles, and much more from Feb. 1, 2006!
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
February 2, 2026 at 4:09 AM
20 years ago today, @TheOnion.com imagined a federal Department of Corruption.
Plus, we learn about the dangers of network-TV violence invading our real lives, black boxes for balloons, BlackBerry’s legal troubles, and much more from Feb. 1, 2006!
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
Plus, we learn about the dangers of network-TV violence invading our real lives, black boxes for balloons, BlackBerry’s legal troubles, and much more from Feb. 1, 2006!
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
20 years ago, The Onion created a Department of Corruption.
Plus, jokes about TV causing violence, Michael J. Fox, Al-Qaeda No. 2s, BlackBerry, rival "dead kid foundations" and the idea of a wife. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
Plus, jokes about TV causing violence, Michael J. Fox, Al-Qaeda No. 2s, BlackBerry, rival "dead kid foundations" and the idea of a wife. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
20 years ago, The Onion created a Department of Corruption
Plus, jokes about TV causing violence, Michael J. Fox, Al-Qaeda No. 2s, BlackBerry, rival "dead kid foundations" and the idea of a wife.
onion20.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 6:02 PM
20 years ago, The Onion created a Department of Corruption.
Plus, jokes about TV causing violence, Michael J. Fox, Al-Qaeda No. 2s, BlackBerry, rival "dead kid foundations" and the idea of a wife. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
Plus, jokes about TV causing violence, Michael J. Fox, Al-Qaeda No. 2s, BlackBerry, rival "dead kid foundations" and the idea of a wife. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
20 years ago, The Onion redesigned its sports section.
Let's look at the web-only jokes from Jan. 25-31, 2006! onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Let's look at the web-only jokes from Jan. 25-31, 2006! onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
20 years ago, The Onion redesigned its online sports section
Let's look at the web-only jokes from Jan. 25-31, 2006!
onion20.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:58 PM
20 years ago, The Onion redesigned its sports section.
Let's look at the web-only jokes from Jan. 25-31, 2006! onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Let's look at the web-only jokes from Jan. 25-31, 2006! onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
20 years ago in The Onion, snowmen protested global warming.
Plus, jokes about never retiring, Bush's ag secretary, Ariel Sharon, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, zombies and more. onion20.substack.com/p/january-20... #theonion #satire
Plus, jokes about never retiring, Bush's ag secretary, Ariel Sharon, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, zombies and more. onion20.substack.com/p/january-20... #theonion #satire
In 2006, The Onion imagined snowmen protesting global warming
Plus, jokes about never retiring, Bush's ag secretary, Ariel Sharon, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, zombies and more.
onion20.substack.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:04 PM
20 years ago in The Onion, snowmen protested global warming.
Plus, jokes about never retiring, Bush's ag secretary, Ariel Sharon, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, zombies and more. onion20.substack.com/p/january-20... #theonion #satire
Plus, jokes about never retiring, Bush's ag secretary, Ariel Sharon, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, zombies and more. onion20.substack.com/p/january-20... #theonion #satire
As many of us await this apparently massive winter storm, it's funny to see that this Onion article turns 20 years old on Sunday.
We'll cover it in the next newsletter. theonion.com/nations-snow...
We'll cover it in the next newsletter. theonion.com/nations-snow...
Nation's Snowmen March Against Global Warming
WASHINGTON, DC—Braving balmy temperatures and sunny skies, millions of scarfless snowmen and snowwomen gathered in cities across the world Tuesday to raise public awareness about the heavy toll…
theonion.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:00 PM
As many of us await this apparently massive winter storm, it's funny to see that this Onion article turns 20 years old on Sunday.
We'll cover it in the next newsletter. theonion.com/nations-snow...
We'll cover it in the next newsletter. theonion.com/nations-snow...
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 18-24, 2006.
We say goodbye to Jackie Harvey's blog! Plus, jokes about President Bush, the New England Patriots, Eminem, God and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
We say goodbye to Jackie Harvey's blog! Plus, jokes about President Bush, the New England Patriots, Eminem, God and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 18-24, 2006
We say goodbye to Jackie Harvey's blog! Plus, jokes about President Bush, the New England Patriots, Eminem, God and more.
onion20.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 18-24, 2006.
We say goodbye to Jackie Harvey's blog! Plus, jokes about President Bush, the New England Patriots, Eminem, God and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
We say goodbye to Jackie Harvey's blog! Plus, jokes about President Bush, the New England Patriots, Eminem, God and more. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Welcome to 2006 in The Onion!
20 years ago in @TheOnion.com, Sean Penn was enraged because he couldn't register his name with Gmail.
Plus, jokes about the federal budget deficit, "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more.
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
20 years ago in @TheOnion.com, Sean Penn was enraged because he couldn't register his name with Gmail.
Plus, jokes about the federal budget deficit, "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more.
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
January 18, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Welcome to 2006 in The Onion!
20 years ago in @TheOnion.com, Sean Penn was enraged because he couldn't register his name with Gmail.
Plus, jokes about the federal budget deficit, "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more.
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
20 years ago in @TheOnion.com, Sean Penn was enraged because he couldn't register his name with Gmail.
Plus, jokes about the federal budget deficit, "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more.
onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o...
20 years ago in The Onion, Sean Penn raged at Gmail.
Plus, the U.S. holds "going-out-of-business" sale and jokes about "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
Plus, the U.S. holds "going-out-of-business" sale and jokes about "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
20 years ago in The Onion, Sean Penn raged against Gmail
Plus, the U.S. holds "going-out-of-business" sale and jokes about "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more.
onion20.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:39 PM
20 years ago in The Onion, Sean Penn raged at Gmail.
Plus, the U.S. holds "going-out-of-business" sale and jokes about "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
Plus, the U.S. holds "going-out-of-business" sale and jokes about "Call of Duty," "The Most Dangerous Game," Brangelina and more. onion20.substack.com/p/2006-the-o... #theonion #satire
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 11-17, 2006.
Here's what The Onion published on its website from Jan. 11-17, 2006, including many sports jokes and a message from President George W. Bush. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Here's what The Onion published on its website from Jan. 11-17, 2006, including many sports jokes and a message from President George W. Bush. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 11-17, 2006
Here's what The Onion published on its website from Jan. 11-17, 2006, including many sports jokes and a message from President George W. Bush.
onion20.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 11-17, 2006.
Here's what The Onion published on its website from Jan. 11-17, 2006, including many sports jokes and a message from President George W. Bush. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
Here's what The Onion published on its website from Jan. 11-17, 2006, including many sports jokes and a message from President George W. Bush. onion20.substack.com/p/reviewing-... #theonion #satire
20 years ago this week, @TheOnion.com was still on holiday vacation. So they published this review of 2005 in Sports. I’ve included a few images from this issue.
Plus, @avclub.com interviewed Fred Armisen.
Plus, @avclub.com interviewed Fred Armisen.
January 13, 2026 at 1:23 AM
20 years ago this week, @TheOnion.com was still on holiday vacation. So they published this review of 2005 in Sports. I’ve included a few images from this issue.
Plus, @avclub.com interviewed Fred Armisen.
Plus, @avclub.com interviewed Fred Armisen.
Reposted by The Onion: 20 Years Later
DOJ Releases Jerome Powell Deepfake Nudes https://theonion.com/doj-releases-jerome-powell-deepfake-nudes/
January 12, 2026 at 9:45 PM
DOJ Releases Jerome Powell Deepfake Nudes https://theonion.com/doj-releases-jerome-powell-deepfake-nudes/
Reposted by The Onion: 20 Years Later
What was 2006 like? I'm sharing 50 great jokes that @TheOnion.com published in 2006
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
January 11, 2026 at 7:23 PM
What was 2006 like? I'm sharing 50 great jokes that @TheOnion.com published in 2006
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
Reposted by The Onion: 20 Years Later
One of my favorite things about my print subscription to @theonion.com is that they mail me a copy in a big white envelope & the only thing inside it is the paper.
No promo cards.
No free trial offers.
No bullshit.
Just the paper I pay for.
Big thanks @bencollins.bsky.social for keeping it real.
No promo cards.
No free trial offers.
No bullshit.
Just the paper I pay for.
Big thanks @bencollins.bsky.social for keeping it real.
January 11, 2026 at 11:05 PM
One of my favorite things about my print subscription to @theonion.com is that they mail me a copy in a big white envelope & the only thing inside it is the paper.
No promo cards.
No free trial offers.
No bullshit.
Just the paper I pay for.
Big thanks @bencollins.bsky.social for keeping it real.
No promo cards.
No free trial offers.
No bullshit.
Just the paper I pay for.
Big thanks @bencollins.bsky.social for keeping it real.
What was 2006 like? I'm sharing 50 great jokes that @TheOnion.com published in 2006
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
January 11, 2026 at 7:23 PM
What was 2006 like? I'm sharing 50 great jokes that @TheOnion.com published in 2006
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
Plus, I preview The Onion's redesigned print newspaper and reflect on how American politics, culture and life have changed over the past 20 years. #theonion
onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50...
Preview: 50 great jokes The Onion published in 2006.
The Onion redesigns its print edition! Plus, 2006 kind of sucked? Let's explore what I'll be covering from a year where seemingly everything got worse. onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50... #theonion #satire
The Onion redesigns its print edition! Plus, 2006 kind of sucked? Let's explore what I'll be covering from a year where seemingly everything got worse. onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50... #theonion #satire
Preview: 50 great jokes The Onion published in 2006
The Onion redesigns its print edition! Plus, 2006 kind of sucked? Let's explore what I'll be covering from a year where seemingly everything got worse.
onion20.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Preview: 50 great jokes The Onion published in 2006.
The Onion redesigns its print edition! Plus, 2006 kind of sucked? Let's explore what I'll be covering from a year where seemingly everything got worse. onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50... #theonion #satire
The Onion redesigns its print edition! Plus, 2006 kind of sucked? Let's explore what I'll be covering from a year where seemingly everything got worse. onion20.substack.com/p/preview-50... #theonion #satire
I'm looking ahead at my coverage of The Onion from 2006, and this headline feels extremely relevant in today's AI era:
"Modern-Day John Henry Dies Trying To Out-Spreadsheet Excel 11.0"
theonion.com/modern-day-j...
"Modern-Day John Henry Dies Trying To Out-Spreadsheet Excel 11.0"
theonion.com/modern-day-j...
Modern-Day John Henry Dies Trying To Out-Spreadsheet Excel 11.0
BALTIMORE—Office laborers across the nation are mourning the passing of Wallace Peters, 42, the mythic three-column accountant at Chesapeake & Ohio Consultants who pitted himself against Microsoft’s…
theonion.com
January 10, 2026 at 7:23 PM
I'm looking ahead at my coverage of The Onion from 2006, and this headline feels extremely relevant in today's AI era:
"Modern-Day John Henry Dies Trying To Out-Spreadsheet Excel 11.0"
theonion.com/modern-day-j...
"Modern-Day John Henry Dies Trying To Out-Spreadsheet Excel 11.0"
theonion.com/modern-day-j...
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 4-10, 2006.
Bush defends NSA wiretapping, plus jokes about veal, venison, Olympic skiers and Kwanzaa sales onion20.substack.com/p/revisiting... #theonion #satire
Bush defends NSA wiretapping, plus jokes about veal, venison, Olympic skiers and Kwanzaa sales onion20.substack.com/p/revisiting... #theonion #satire
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 4-10, 2006
Bush defends NSA wiretapping, plus jokes about veal, venison, Olympic skiers and Kwanzaa sales
onion20.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Reviewing The Onion's website: Jan. 4-10, 2006.
Bush defends NSA wiretapping, plus jokes about veal, venison, Olympic skiers and Kwanzaa sales onion20.substack.com/p/revisiting... #theonion #satire
Bush defends NSA wiretapping, plus jokes about veal, venison, Olympic skiers and Kwanzaa sales onion20.substack.com/p/revisiting... #theonion #satire
20 years ago today, @TheOnion.com published an issue of old stories under the banner “Re-Breaking News.”
Here are a few of the pages from that print issue. #theonion
Here are a few of the pages from that print issue. #theonion
January 4, 2026 at 7:23 PM
20 years ago today, @TheOnion.com published an issue of old stories under the banner “Re-Breaking News.”
Here are a few of the pages from that print issue. #theonion
Here are a few of the pages from that print issue. #theonion
30 year ago this month, apropos of nothing:
“For a long time, we have said we don’t need another Viet-nam,” Clinton told a joint session of Congress. “But now, more than ever, America needs to be divided. We need another Vietnam.”
theonion.com/u-s-invades-...
“For a long time, we have said we don’t need another Viet-nam,” Clinton told a joint session of Congress. “But now, more than ever, America needs to be divided. We need another Vietnam.”
theonion.com/u-s-invades-...
U.S. Invades Vietnam
Clinton: ‘We need another Vietnam’
theonion.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:12 AM
30 year ago this month, apropos of nothing:
“For a long time, we have said we don’t need another Viet-nam,” Clinton told a joint session of Congress. “But now, more than ever, America needs to be divided. We need another Vietnam.”
theonion.com/u-s-invades-...
“For a long time, we have said we don’t need another Viet-nam,” Clinton told a joint session of Congress. “But now, more than ever, America needs to be divided. We need another Vietnam.”
theonion.com/u-s-invades-...
Reposted by The Onion: 20 Years Later
Expect to see a lot of this classic Onion headline, from 23 years ago, over the coming weeks.
January 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Expect to see a lot of this classic Onion headline, from 23 years ago, over the coming weeks.
Reposted by The Onion: 20 Years Later
My favorite Onion headline of all time. Happy New Year. Keepit cozy!
January 1, 2026 at 7:54 AM
My favorite Onion headline of all time. Happy New Year. Keepit cozy!
Reposted by The Onion: 20 Years Later
This was not the question but I hear that’s what Bluesky is for! We get the physical copy of The Onion and I highly recommend. So subscribe! And here is my favorite Onion headline of all time.
theonion.com/just-take-it...
theonion.com/just-take-it...
December 31, 2025 at 5:48 PM
This was not the question but I hear that’s what Bluesky is for! We get the physical copy of The Onion and I highly recommend. So subscribe! And here is my favorite Onion headline of all time.
theonion.com/just-take-it...
theonion.com/just-take-it...