History of My Pillow in Timeline

My Pillow, Inc., founded in 2009 by Mike Lindell, is a pillow-manufacturing company based in Minnesota. Lindell invented and patented My Pillow, a unique open-cell, poly-foam pillow. The pillows were initially sold through Night Moves Minnesota, LLC starting in 2004, before transitioning to My Pillow, Inc. The company gained prominence through TV infomercials, selling over 41 million pillows. Starting with five employees, My Pillow grew to employ 1,500 people by 2017.

2004: Pillows Sold Through LLC

From 2004 to 2009, Mike Lindell sold his My Pillows through his company, Night Moves Minnesota, LLC.

2005: First My Pillow Sold

In 2005, the first My Pillow was sold at a kiosk in Eden Prairie Center, a mall in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

2009: Company Founded

In 2009, Mike Lindell officially founded My Pillow, Inc. after selling his pillows through Night Moves Minnesota, LLC from 2004 to 2009. My Pillow, Inc. was established in 2009 with Lindell's patented open-cell, poly-foam pillow design.

October 2011: Infomercial Launch

In October 2011, My Pillow's success significantly increased after launching an infomercial which cost $500,000 to produce. It was shot in one day in front of a live studio audience.

2012: First Retail Store Opens

In 2012, My Pillow opened its first retail store in Burnsville, Minnesota.

September 2013: Infomercial Airing and Company Growth

As of September 2013, My Pillow's infomercial aired an average of 200 times per day on local and national networks. Since the infomercial first aired, My Pillow sold more than 30 million pillows and grew from 50 employees to over 1,500.

2013: Complaints to the BBB

From 2013 to 2016, the Better Business Bureau received 220 complaints regarding My Pillow.

2013: Q-Star Award

In 2013, QVC awarded My Pillow its Q-Star Award for Product Concept of the Year.

March 2015: Donation to American Cancer Society Hope Lodge

In March 2015, My Pillow donated pillows to the Sandra J. Schulze American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, which houses patients and their caregivers traveling for treatment.

July 2015: Guinness World Record for Largest Pillow Fight

In July 2015, Mike Lindell and My Pillow sponsored an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the world's largest pillow fight at a St. Paul Saints baseball game, with 6,261 participants, beating a previous record of 4,201.

April 2016: Class Action Lawsuit Proposed

In April 2016, a class action lawsuit was proposed against My Pillow, citing false advertising and questioning Mike Lindell's credentials as a "Sleep Expert."

August 2016: Sales Tax Charges

In August 2016, the New York State Attorney General's office charged My Pillow with failing to collect and remit over $500,000 in sales tax. The company denied wrongdoing but settled for $1.1 million.

November 1, 2016: Settlement in False Advertising Lawsuit

On November 1, 2016, My Pillow agreed to pay $1 million to settle a false advertising lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court, brought by Alameda County and eight other California counties. The lawsuit challenged the company's marketing claims including that the pillows could help with fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea without proof. The settlement also banned My Pillow from making claims in California that its pillows can cure or treat diseases and their symptoms without human trials to back up the statements. My Pillow also had to stop promoting itself as the 'official pillow' of the National Sleep Foundation because it failed to disclose its financial connection with the foundation to consumers.

2016: Consumer Reports Review

A 2016 Consumer Reports review of My Pillow products revealed a mixed reception after at-home testing, with only about one-third of the participants indicating they would repurchase MyPillow.

January 2017: BBB Revokes Accreditation

In January 2017, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) revoked My Pillow's accreditation and lowered its rating from A+ to F due to numerous consumer complaints, primarily regarding the constant "buy one, get one free" offer.

November 2017: Settlement Regarding Marketing

In November 2017, the lawsuit against My Pillow, which challenged the appropriateness of the marketing, packaging, and sale of My Pillow products, including health claims about the product, buy one get one promotions, and the use of third party endorsements and logos, was settled.

2017: Charitable Donations

As of 2017, My Pillow was donating a pillow to charities such as homeless shelters and hospitals for each order made in the associated Minnesota community. My Pillow donated 60,000 pillows to Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas in 2017.

2017: Retail Growth

By 2017, My Pillow had expanded to 17 locations in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

2017: Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit

In 2017, My Pillow settled a class action lawsuit regarding misleading advertising, specifically related to their "buy one, get one free" promotions.

March 2018: Boycott of The Ingraham Angle

In late March 2018, student activists from the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, including David Hogg, organized a boycott of The Ingraham Angle on Fox News after host Laura Ingraham made disparaging comments about Hogg.

April 2018: Increased Advertising on The Ingraham Angle

In April 2018, My Pillow increased their advertising buy on The Ingraham Angle by 625 percent, despite a boycott of the show after disparaging comments about David Hogg.

May 2018: Another Guinness World Record for Largest Pillow Fight

In May 2018, Mike Lindell and My Pillow broke the Guinness World Record again for the world's largest pillow fight with over 45,000 people participating, at the PULSE Movement event held at the U.S. Bank Stadium after Lindell led them in prayer.

March 2020: Production Shift to Face Masks

In March 2020, Mike Lindell announced that 75% of My Pillow's production would shift to manufacturing cotton face masks for donation to health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially stating they would not be available for public purchase, though they later appeared for sale on the website.

June 2020: Advertising on Tucker Carlson Tonight

As of June 2020, My Pillow purchased more advertising on the Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight program than any other advertiser. Approximately 38 percent of Carlson's 2020 advertising revenue had come from My Pillow at half-year.

August 2020: BBB Remains Active Promotion

As of August 2020, the 'buy one get one free' offer remained an active promotion, which contributed to the BBB revoking accreditation in 2017.

December 14, 2020: Sponsorship of Bus Tour

My Pillow sponsored a two-week bus tour that ended on December 14, 2020, hosted by Amy Kremer to support Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.

January 2021: Dominion Threatens Lawsuit

In January 2021, Dominion Voting Systems threatened to sue Mike Lindell over his false claims of widespread fraud involving their machines.

February 2021: Hogg Announces Competitor

In February 2021, David Hogg announced he would launch an "ethical" competitor to MyPillow.

February 2021: Company Twitter Account Suspended

In February 2021, the My Pillow company Twitter account (@mypillowusa) was permanently suspended for violating Twitter's policy on ban evasion after Mike Lindell used the company's account to post about Jack Dorsey after his personal account was banned.

February 22, 2021: Dominion Files Lawsuit

On February 22, 2021, Dominion Voting Systems followed through on their threats and filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit against MyPillow and Mike Lindell. Dominion's CEO John Poulos issued a statement on the matter.

April 2021: Hogg Resigns from Good Pillow

In April 2021, David Hogg resigned from Good Pillow and released all his shares, ending his attempt to challenge MyPillow.

April 2021: Lindell Countersues Dominion

In April 2021, Mike Lindell filed a countersuit against Dominion Voting Systems, accusing them of "debasing the legal system".

2022: Sued by Smartmatic

In 2022, My Pillow and Mike Lindell were sued by Smartmatic, an election technology company, for allegedly making false claims about Smartmatic voting machines to promote My Pillow products.

January 2024: Advertising on Fox News

In January 2024, Mike Lindell stated that he typically spent $1 million per week on Fox advertisements. However, Fox reduced his credit from 12 to 8 weeks and cut him off with a $7.8 million debt which he argued was within his credit line, accusing Fox of trying to silence him.

September 20, 2024: Controversial Sale Price

On September 20, 2024, MyPillow advertised a sale on their classic pillow for $14.88 on X (formerly Twitter), which critics pointed out is a known Nazi dog whistle. Mike Lindell denied any hidden meaning behind the price.