Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Mike Lindell

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Mike Lindell.

Mike Lindell, also known as the 'My Pillow Guy,' is an American businessman best known as the founder and CEO of My Pillow, a company that manufactures pillows, bedding, and slippers. He is also a political activist, primarily known for promoting conspiracy theories related to the 2020 United States presidential election. Lindell has used his platform to spread misinformation and has faced legal challenges and boycotts due to his views.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2019: Alleged affair between Lindell and Krakowski

Between late 2019 and the summer of 2020, the Daily Mail reported that Lindell had a nine-month relationship with actress Jane Krakowski, which was denied by both Lindell and Krakowski.

November 2020: Contribution to Kyle Rittenhouse's Bail

In November 2020, Lindell contributed towards paying the bail of Kyle Rittenhouse. He later clarified that he donated to The Fight Back Foundation Inc. to help fund election fraud litigation.

December 14, 2020: Bus Tour Challenging Election Results Ends

On December 14, 2020, a bus tour sponsored in part by Lindell to challenge the election results ended in Washington, D.C., where Lindell spoke.

December 2020: Dominion sends cease-and-desist letter to Lindell

In December 2020, Dominion Voting Systems sent Mike Lindell a cease-and-desist letter, requesting him to retract false claims made about the company.

2020: Support for Overturning Election Results

After Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Lindell played a significant role in supporting and financing Trump's attempts to overturn the election result.

2020: Alleged affair between Lindell and Krakowski

Between late 2019 and the summer of 2020, the Daily Mail reported that Lindell had a nine-month relationship with actress Jane Krakowski, which was denied by both Lindell and Krakowski.

2020: Frank's conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election

In 2020, Frank promoted conspiracy theories about the presidential election.

2020: Support for Trump and Spreading Election Conspiracy Theories

In 2020, Lindell became a prominent supporter and advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump. After Trump's defeat in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Lindell supported Trump's attempts to overturn the election results and spread disproven conspiracy theories about widespread electoral fraud.

2020: False Claims about the 2020 election

In 2020, Lindell made false claims about the election which were included in his documentary "Absolute Proof."

2020: Promotion of Oleandrin as COVID-19 Treatment

In 2020, Lindell promoted the use of oleandrin, a cardiotoxic substance, as a COVID-19 treatment, including arranging a meeting with then-President Donald Trump and Andrew Whitney. There is no scientific evidence that oleandrin is safe or effective.

2020: Retailers Stop Carrying My Pillow Products Due to Low Customer Demand

In 2020, some major retailers stopped carrying My Pillow products due to market research and low customer demand.

2020: Lindell falsely claims votes missing from the 2020 election

In 2024, Mike Lindell attended the Democratic National Convention, where he falsely claimed that there were 257,000 votes missing from the 2020 election.

2020: Lindell alludes to 2020 election fraud.

In January 2022, Lindell claimed he possessed enough evidence to imprison millions for alleged involvement in the 2020 election fraud.

2020: Lindell claims Chinese interference in the 2020 election.

Lindell claimed a certain dataset showed Chinese interference in the 2020 election.

January 15, 2021: Document Carried into White House

On January 15, 2021, Lindell carried a document into the West Wing of the White House, which appeared to refer to martial law and replacing Gina Haspel as CIA director.

January 2021: Dominion sends second cease-and-desist letter to Lindell

In January 2021, Dominion Voting Systems sent Mike Lindell a second cease-and-desist letter, requesting him to retract false claims made about the company.

January 2021: Daily Mail publishes story about Lindell and Krakowski

In January 2021, the Daily Mail published a story alleging a nine-month relationship between Mike Lindell and actress Jane Krakowski. Both parties denied the allegation, and Lindell subsequently sued the Daily Mail for libel.

January 25, 2021: Twitter permanently bans Mike Lindell

On January 25, 2021, Twitter permanently banned Mike Lindell's personal account for violating the civic integrity policy by perpetuating unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election. Additionally, the My Pillow account was also permanently banned after Lindell used it to evade the initial ban and make further statements.

February 2, 2021: Appearance on Newsmax and False Claims About Voting Machines

On February 2, 2021, Lindell appeared on Newsmax to discuss cancel culture but repeated false claims about rigged voting machines, leading to the anchor walking off the set mid-interview.

February 5, 2021: Mike Lindell broadcasts 'Absolute Proof'

On February 5, 2021, Mike Lindell purchased airtime on One America News Network to broadcast "Absolute Proof," a documentary making false claims about the 2020 election. YouTube removed the documentary that same day.

February 2021: Warnings from Dominion

In February 2021, Dominion warned Lindell that they planned to sue him, stating in their letter: "You have positioned yourself as a prominent leader of the ongoing misinformation campaign."

February 22, 2021: Dominion sues Lindell and My Pillow for defamation

On February 22, 2021, Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against Mike Lindell and My Pillow, seeking US$1.3 billion in damages due to false claims about the company. Dominion alleged Lindell and My Pillow profited from a "defamatory marketing campaign".

March 2021: Lindell announces counter-suit against Dominion

In March 2021, Mike Lindell stated on Steve Bannon's podcast that he would counter-sue Dominion Voting Systems for racketeering and election interference.

April 19, 2021: Launch of Frank

On April 19, 2021, Lindell launched Frank, his social media site, on frankspeech.com. The launch was plagued with technical issues attributed to a "massive attack." The site primarily offered embedded video streams, including Absolute Interference, which promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.

April 19, 2021: My Pillow files lawsuit against Dominion

On April 19, 2021, Mike Lindell announced that My Pillow had filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Dominion Voting Systems, alleging defamation. Dominion's legal counsel described the lawsuit as a meritless retaliatory action.

April 20, 2021: Lindell publishes 'Absolute Interference'

On April 20, 2021, Mike Lindell released a second documentary, "Absolute Interference", promoting debunked conspiracy theories about the election and criticizing the news media and communism.

June 2021: Lindell files civil suit against Dominion and Smartmatic

In June 2021, Mike Lindell filed a civil suit against both Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. A law partner involved in drafting the suit subsequently left their firm.

September 2021: Bonner County, Idaho, announces recount in response to Lindell's allegations

In September 2021, Bonner County, Idaho, announced it would perform a recount of ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election, following Mike Lindell's allegation that all 44 Idaho counties had been digitally hacked. The recount found no evidence of digital hacking, and Idaho planned to bill Lindell for the cost.

December 2021: Lindell's libel suit against the Daily Mail is dismissed

In December 2021, a federal court dismissed Mike Lindell's libel suit against the Daily Mail, ruling that he had failed to identify any defamatory statements.

2021: Retailers Stop Carrying My Pillow Products

In 2021, some major retailers stopped carrying My Pillow products. Lindell suggested this was due to his claims about the 2020 United States presidential election results, while retailers cited market research and low customer demand.

2021: Lindell predicts Trump's reinstatement

Throughout 2021, Mike Lindell and others predicted that inquiries into the 2020 election would lead to Donald Trump being reinstated as president, with Lindell initially predicting an August 13 reinstatement, then moving his prediction to September 30, neither of which occurred.

January 2022: Lindell claims to have evidence to imprison millions

In January 2022, Mike Lindell claimed he possessed "enough evidence to put everybody in prison for life, 300-some million people" for their alleged involvement in the 2020 election fraud.

January 2022: Smartmatic sues Lindell for defamation

In January 2022, Smartmatic sued Mike Lindell for defamation, seeking unspecified damages and legal fees, alleging that his false claims had significantly reduced the company's value following the 2020 election.

April 2022: Donation to Tina Peters Legal Defense Fund

In April 2022, Lindell's mention of donating as much as $800,000 to a legal defense fund for Tina Peters, then a Republican candidate for Colorado Secretary of State, raised questions and led to an ethics investigation.

May 2022: Rejoined and Banned From Twitter

In May 2022, Lindell rejoined Twitter, circumventing a ban on his former account, but was quickly banned again for ban evasion.

May 2022: Federal court dismisses Lindell's claims against Dominion and Smartmatic

In May 2022, the federal court dismissed all claims made by Mike Lindell and MyPillow against Dominion, Smartmatic, and their legal representatives. The court also ruled that Lindell and MyPillow would be liable to Smartmatic for attorney's fees due to making frivolous claims under Rule 11.

September 13, 2022: FBI serves search warrant on Lindell

On September 13, 2022, the FBI served a search and seizure warrant for Mike Lindell's phone while he was at a fast-food drive-through in Minnesota. The agents also questioned him regarding Tina Peters, a Colorado County Clerk charged with election interference.

April 20, 2023: Arbitration Tribunal orders Lindell to pay $5 million

On April 20, 2023, a panel of the American Arbitration Association's (AAA) Commercial Arbitration Tribunal ordered Mike Lindell to pay $5 million to Robert Zeidman, a software developer, who proved that the dataset Lindell claimed showed Chinese interference in the 2020 election was not authentic.

August 2023: Lindell proposes using drones to detect voting machine internet connections

In August 2023, Mike Lindell announced his plan to prevent voting fraud by using drones equipped with wireless sniffing devices near polling places to identify voting machines connected to the Internet.

February 21, 2024: Court confirms arbitration award against Lindell

On February 21, 2024, the United States District Court of the District of Minnesota confirmed the arbitration award ordering Mike Lindell to pay $5 million to Robert Zeidman.

September 2024: Controversy Over MyPillow Sale Price

In September 2024, MyPillow announced a sale of their classic pillow for $14.88, a price critics have linked to the Nazi "Fourteen Words" dog whistle. Lindell has denied any hidden meaning.