Mike Lindell single-handedly propping up Fox News lineup and election denialism

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is spending a fortune propping up the Fox News prime-time lineup and fueling 2020 election conspiracies.

The 61-year-old Trump-loving pillow monger, a recovering crack cocaine and gambling addict who previously managed some bars in suburban Minneapolis, claims to have spent up to $40 million on conferences, activist networks and other efforts to promote his theory that Donald Trump was defrauded, and he's also the single largest advertiser for the conservative cable network's nightly opinion programs, reported the New York Times.

“I didn’t do this to make a profit,” Lindell told the newspaper. “I did it to save our country.”

Lindell has spent nearly $80 million on Fox News advertising since January 2021, according to estimates by iSpot.TV, and another $10 million on ads on right-wing podcasts during that same period, according to estimates from Magellan AI, but that investment has earned him intense loyalty from like-minded customers who pay $49.98 on his shredded-foam pillows -- which can sell for as little as $19.98 with discounts.

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“Use promo code ‘FBI’ to save up to 66 percent!” Lindell shouted at a recent Idaho rally, three days after federal agents seized his cell phone as part of an investigation into tampering with voting machines.

Lindell has long paired his ads with distinct promo codes to track their performance, but since the 2020 election he has focused his investments on podcasts that attract Christian audiences, especially women in their 40s and 50s, and hosts have rewarded him by making his company synonymous to their worldview.

“Every dollar you spend at MyPillow helps fund Mike Lindell’s efforts for this nation,” said BardFM host Scott Kesterson on his podcast last month. “He’s done that as they’ve tried to destroy his company.”

Lindell has used his money as leverage against Fox News and other conservative networks, including the publicly traded Salem Media Group, whose roster includes right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk and former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, if he believes their coverage doesn't sufficiently reflect his election theories.

“You better at least say something because you might not have products to sell at least from MyPillow,” Lindell warned on his own online video site. “You don’t get to have your cake and eat it too. There will be no more MyPillow if you can’t address the election of 2020.”