Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Mike Lindell

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

Michael James Lindell, known as the 'My Pillow Guy,' is an American businessman, political activist, and conspiracy theorist. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, a company that manufactures pillows, bedding, and slippers. Lindell is notable for his vocal support of Donald Trump and his promotion of false conspiracy theories about the 2020 United States presidential election being stolen. He has faced significant criticism and legal challenges related to these claims. Despite controversies, he remains a prominent figure in conservative circles.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2017: BBB Revokes My Pillow Accreditation

In 2017, the Better Business Bureau revoked the accreditation of My Pillow, lowering its rating to an F based on a pattern of consumer complaints, citing a buy one, get one free offer that was continuously offered. Lindell expressed disappointment at the BBB's decision.

November 2020: Contribution to Kyle Rittenhouse's Bail

In November 2020, Lindell was among those who contributed toward paying the bail of the Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse.

December 14, 2020: End of Bus Tour

On December 14, 2020, the two-week bus tour that sought to challenge the election results ended in Washington, D.C. Lindell spoke at five stops.

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

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

2020: Attempts to Overturn 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: Presidential Election Result

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

2020: Claims about the 2020 United States Presidential Election

In 2020, Lindell made claims relating to the 2020 United States presidential election results.

2020: Promotion of Oleandrin as COVID-19 Treatment

In 2020, Lindell promoted the use of oleandrin, a cardiotoxic substance, as a treatment for COVID-19, including arranging a meeting with Trump.

2020: Lindell alleges election fraud.

In 2020, Mike Lindell alleged election fraud.

2020: Chinese interference in the 2020 election

In 2020, Mike Lindell claimed a certain dataset showed Chinese interference in the 2020 election, and offered $5 million to anyone who could prove otherwise.

2020: votes missing from the 2020 election

In 2020, Mike Lindell falsely claimed that there were 257,000 votes missing from the election.

2020: False claims about the election

In 2020, Mike Lindell made false claims about the election.

January 15, 2021: Document Carried into the White House

On January 15, 2021, Lindell carried a document into the West Wing of the White House that appeared to refer to martial law and the Insurrection Act.

January 2021: Dominion requests Lindell to retract false claims

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

January 2021: Daily Mail reports Lindell's relationship with Jane Krakowski

In January 2021, the Daily Mail published a story claiming that Mike Lindell had a nine-month relationship with actress Jane Krakowski, which both parties denied, leading to Lindell suing the Daily Mail.

January 25, 2021: Twitter permanently bans Mike Lindell

On January 25, 2021, Twitter permanently banned Mike Lindell for violating the company's civic integrity policy by perpetuating unsubstantiated claims that Trump won the 2020 election.

February 2, 2021: Appearance on Newsmax and False Claims

On February 2, 2021, Lindell appeared on Newsmax in an interview and repeated false claims about rigged voting machines, leading to the anchor walking off the set.

February 5, 2021: Lindell broadcasts 'Absolute Proof' on OANN

On February 5, 2021, Mike Lindell broadcast 'Absolute Proof,' a documentary containing false claims about the 2020 election, on One America News Network (OANN). YouTube removed the documentary on the same day.

February 2021: Warned of Lawsuit

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 US$1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Mike Lindell and My Pillow, alleging they profited from a "defamatory marketing campaign" based on election lies.

March 2021: Lindell announces counter-suit against Dominion

In March 2021, Mike Lindell stated on Steve Bannon's War Room: Pandemic podcast that he would counter-sue Dominion, accusing them of racketeering and election interference.

April 20, 2021: Lindell publishes 'Absolute Interference'

On April 20, 2021, Mike Lindell released a second documentary titled 'Absolute Interference', which promoted debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and criticized 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 Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. The day after the suit was filed, a law partner with Barnes & Thornburg who drafted and submitted the suit left the firm.

September 2021: Idaho county to recount ballots due to Lindell's allegation

In September 2021, Bonner County, Idaho, announced it would perform a recount of ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election in response to Mike Lindell's allegation that all 44 Idaho counties had been digitally hacked. The recount affirmed the accuracy of the ballot count.

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

In December 2021, a federal court dismissed Mike Lindell's libel suit against the Daily Mail.

2021: Lindell predicts Trump's reinstatement

In 2021, Mike Lindell and others predicted that various inquiries into the election would result in Trump being reinstated as president, with Lindell initially predicting August 13, then September 30 after the initial prediction failed.

2021: Retailers Stop Carrying My Pillow Products

In 2021, some major retailers stopped carrying My Pillow products. Lindell suggested this was a result of his claims relating to the 2020 United States presidential election results.

January 2022: Lindell claims to have evidence to imprison millions

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

January 2022: Smartmatic sues Lindell for defamation

In January 2022, Smartmatic sued Mike Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic claimed Lindell's false claims had reduced the company's value from more than $3 billion before the 2020 election to less than $1 billion.

April 2022: Donation to Tina Peters Defense Fund

In April 2022, Lindell's mention of donating as much as $800,000 to a legal defense fund for Tina Peters raised questions and the state's ethics commission investigated the fund.

May 2022: Rejoined and Banned from Twitter

In May 2022, Lindell rejoined Twitter, circumventing a ban, but was terminated hours later for ban evasion.

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

In May 2022, the federal court dismissed all claims by Mike Lindell and My Pillow against Dominion, Smartmatic, and their lawyers and public relations firm. The court also ruled that Lindell and My Pillow would be liable to Smartmatic for attorney's fees for making frivolous claims.

September 13, 2022: FBI seizes Lindell's phone

On September 13, 2022, the FBI served a search and seizure warrant for Mike Lindell's phone at a fast-food drive-through in Minnesota. Agents also asked questions regarding Colorado's Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.

April 20, 2023: Lindell ordered to pay $5M in arbitration

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

August 2023: Lindell plans to use drones to detect voting fraud

In August 2023, Mike Lindell stated his plan to prevent voting fraud by flying drones with wireless sniffing devices near polling places to determine whether voting machines are 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, requiring Mike Lindell to pay $5 million.

September 2024: Controversy over MyPillow Sale Price

In September 2024, Lindell faced controversy when MyPillow announced a sale of their classic pillow for a price of $14.88, which critics have noted is a common Nazi dog whistle.

2024: Lindell attends Democratic National Convention

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

June 16, 2025: Lindell found liable for defamation against Eric Coomer

On June 16, 2025, a federal jury in Colorado found Mike Lindell liable for defamation against Eric Coomer, ordering Lindell and FrankSpeech to pay Coomer $2.3 million in damages.