Here's How Much The MyPillow Guy Is Really Worth
On March 30, 2020, the Twittersphere ran abuzz with the hashtag, #mypillowguy. If you're feeling lost (or perhaps were never a fan of cable TV), the MyPillow guy is Mike Lindell, the founder and CEO of a multimillion-dollar pillow company, which rose to fame with its late-night infomercial ads.
So, why the sudden interest in Lindell? Well, as it turns out, the entrepreneur has a very public bromance with President Donald Trump — and is suddenly even finding himself turning to politics. According to Newsweek, the POTUS invited Lindell to speak to the public at a White House coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing "to announce his company's intention to produce face masks to help mitigate the spread" of the disease.
Much like how he does with his pillows, Lindell fluffed up the crowd with information about the masks. As Politico described it, the March 30 speech sounded a lot like an infomercial, "going on to describe how the firm was manufacturing cotton face masks and effusively praising the president for his pandemic stewardship."
Unfortunately for Lindell, the online community wasn't too pleased. "Trump just called the 'My Pillow' guy up to the podium in the Rose Garden. You cannot make this stuff up," tweeted one user, while television writer Steve Marmel quipped, "Two idiots, one pillow."
So, while the world attempts to make light of an ultimately unsettling global situation, let's distract ourselves and find out how much the MyPillow guy is really worth. Trust us, you'll be surprised.
The MyPillow guy doesn't come from money
Mike Lindell's rise as the MyPillow king came with tremendous hardships, solidifying the fact that he truly is a self-made millionaire (take that, Kylie Jenner). What makes his success even more shocking? The fact that the entrepreneur was addicted to drugs while starting up his business. "People say all the time that's one of the biggest miracles ever," mused Lindell to CNBC in 2017.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Lindell began his downward spiral in the early '80s with cocaine abuse, transitioning to crack in the '90s. As the outlet writes, "He was still deep into his addiction when a lifelong sleeping problem pointed him to his million-dollar idea." In 2004, the future business tycoon awoke from a dream one night and swiftly created his first MyPillow prototype — then unsuccessfully pitched it to various "chain stores."
By 2009, the devout Christian claims he hit rock bottom until he asked God for an intervention. "I had one prayer that night ... I woke up the next day — and you've got to realize this is years of crack addiction — I go, 'Wow, something's different,'" he told the Chicago Tribune.
Long story short, Lindell began churning out infomercials, and by 2011, business was finally booming. "I want to come across as an average guy, talking to his neighbor," he told Star Tribune back in 2013. Sure enough, it worked.
Mike Lindell is worth a lot more than you think
How much money can one make off of pillows? Simply put, a lot — if they're worth the hype. According to the MyPillow website, Mike Lindell's product supposedly "[adjusts the] patented fill so you could have the exact support you need as an individual, regardless of your sleep position." The concept seems clever, and considering Lindell's net worth sits at a pretty $300 million, it seems many shoppers have thought so, too.
"By the end of [2011], we went from five employees to 500," the CEO told CNBC in 2017. As the outlet notes, by 2017, Lindell estimated "he's spent $100 million on infomercials ... and revenues have grown from around $100,000 a year to close to $300 million." Celebrities have jumped in on the trend, too, and everyone from Frankie Muniz to Neil Patrick Harris have been whisked away to la-la land — even President Donald Trump claims he sleeps on one, too.
So, along with expanding his highly successful pillow business to different products, what else does Lindell have on the horizon? Well, he may be turning his sights to politics, thanks to his fellow business-mogul pal, Trump.
According to Politico, the POTUS is "nudging" Lindell to run for governor of Minnesota in 2022. On Feb. 29, 2020, the MyPillow founder posted a photo of himself and Trump to his Instagram page, announcing he has been appointed Chairman of the Minnesota Trump campaign.