Stars Who Can't Stand The MyPillow Guy
You've seen the commercials: the happy salesman touting a pillow, claiming it's the best item to keep you comfortable as you sleep. You probably still have that earworm of a jingle implanted in your brain. But the inventor of that source of fluffy comfort is creating a larger profile these days, thanks to a famous friendship, so expect to hear even more from him.
Mike Lindell is the CEO and inventor of MyPillow, and he sells more than 41 million pillows a year, according to a 2018 interview with CBS Sunday Morning. The Minnesota man, who battled addiction, is now a millionaire, manufacturing MyPillow in his home state. The pillow literally came to him in a dream. Plus, Lindell is appearing in surprising, high-profile places and becoming a growing voice among conservatives. In March 2020, Lindell was invited to the White House as a business leader who President Donald Trump applauded for making products to fight the coronavirus pandemic. According to Politico, Lindell, who's a major Republican donor, went off-script during his visit to praise the president.
"God gave us grace on Nov. 8, 2016, to change the course we were on," Lindell said, referencing the day Trump won the presidential election. "With our great president, vice president, and this administration, and all the great people in this country praying daily, we will get through this and get back to a place that's stronger and safer than ever." While Trump is buddies with Lindell, not everyone is the entrepreneur's biggest fan.
MyPillow's CEO got called out by Anderson Cooper — and a few others
The friendship between MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and President Donald Trump is clear, but there are those who don't look fondly at it. In August 2020, Lindell told CNN he attended a White House meeting in July about oleandrin, an unproven drug Lindell and Housing Secretary Ben Carson claim can be used to treat coronavirus. Lindell is also financially involved with the medication.
When asked about oleandrin, Trump said, according to CNN, "We'll look at it, we'll look at it, we're looking at a lot of different things... Very close to a therapeutic. I have heard that name mentioned." Lindell's influence brought along criticism from CNN's Anderson Cooper, who interviewed the CEO the day after Trump's comments. The interview was combative at times between Lindell and the journalist. "You really are a snake oil salesman," Cooper said. "I mean, you could be in the Old West standing on a box telling people to drink your amazing elixir that there's no proof [of]."
On Twitter, culinary expert and TV host Andrew Zimmern weighed in on Cooper's interview: "Mike Lindell ... profiteering from desperation and his claims will get people killed. Shameful and criminal. You HAVE to watch this interview Bravo @andersoncooper." Rocker Richard Marx didn't have kind words for the MyPillow CEO either, tweeting, "This is like watching a horrible accident in slow motion. Mike Lindell is exactly the kind of person Trump worshipers would accept as purely authentic." Yikes!