MyPillow ads returned to Fox News last week, but CEO Mike Lindell says the relationship is still on the rocks.
Mr. Lindell pulled all advertising from Fox in July after he said the network refused to run ads promoting his online platform and his three-day cyber symposium on 2020 presidential election fraud.
“I still think Fox has done more damage to our country than all other media outlets combined,” Mr. Lindell told The Washington Times on Friday. “It’s the same relationship. I think they’re horrible.”
Mr. Lindell’s high-profile dustup with Fox News peaked in July, when he pulled all MyPillow ads, which was once one of his company’s biggest promoters.
The move cost MyPillow $1 million per week in revenue.
Mr. Lindell’s symposium in South Dakota was supposed to unveil evidence that a Chinese-based hack of the election helped President Biden defeat former President Donald Trump.
He claimed to have 37 terabytes of “irrefutable” evidence that hackers, who he said were backed by China, broke into election systems and switched votes in favor of Mr. Biden, which he planned to present at the event.
Mr. Lindell launched into several tirades against Fox News during the event in August, claiming the network refused to cover claims that the election was hacked.
“Shame on you, Fox,” Mr. Lindell said to cheers from the crowd during his opening remarks at the symposium. “Disgusting that they haven’t talked about this election. At least we know where CNN and all these terrible outlets come from. At least they attacked, and then we can at least get the word out.”
Mr. Lindell concluded his symposium without presenting specific evidence that China hacked the election. The event reached an estimated audience of 40 million online viewers and roughly 500 in-person attendees including Republican state and municipal lawmakers.
Mr. Lindell said Fox continues to reject any ads that promote his online platform, FrankSpeech.com, on which Mr. Lindell livestreamed the full duration of the symposium. The site also hosts several documentaries that claim the 2020 election was defrauded, and streams “Lindell TV,” a nightly broadcast that often focuses on election fraud claims.
Mr. Lindell said after he pulled his ads from Fox in July, he approached the network on multiple occasions with ads for FrankSpeech.com that were rejected.
“And the third one, they said, ‘We don’t like what your content is that Frank Speech,’” Mr. Lindell said. “So then I did a fourth ad and directed into MyPillow. And then they said I couldn’t use the word ’frank’ or ’frank speech’ in the ad.”
Mr. Lindell said Fox continues to refuse any ads for FrankSpeech.com or any ads that mention his online platform or the word “frank.”
“It’s disgusting what they’ve done,” he said.
In response to inquiries by The Times, Fox News pointed to a previous article in The Daily Beast where Fox confirmed that they had rejected multiple ads they received from Mr. Lindell but denied Mr. Lindell’s “characterization of the conversation.”
Mr. Lindell said his goal in returning to Fox was to continue to get the word out about the 2020 election, which he continues to claim was tainted by fraud. He said his ads that run on Fox direct viewers to the MyPillow website, which directs visitors to FrankSpeech.com.
“The ad I ran last night, it directs them to MyPillow.com selling patriotic products and Bible pillows, and then from there, I get them to FrankSpeech,” he said. “This is all about trying to get our country, trying to get awareness out.”
Despite the August symposium failing to provide proof of a Chinese hack, Mr. Lindell remains on his crusade to prove the election was stolen.
His mission also continues to cost Mr. Lindell dearly both financially and in terms of reputation.
In February, the voting machine company Dominion sued Mr. Lindell and MyPillow for $1.3 billion in damages for defamation based on his allegations the election was rigged. In June, Mr. Lindell filed a $1.6 billion countersuit citing the First Amendment and claiming that Dominion had infringed on his right to free speech.
He remains undeterred.
Mr. Lindell is backing a class action case against Dominion Voting Systems alleging the voting machine manufacturer has violated the First Amendment rights of “ordinary Americans” who “participate in the public debate regarding election integrity and security,” by waging “lawsuit warfare” against those who speak out. The suit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Colorado.
He said he has little hope for repairing his relationship with Fox News.
“I think all the hosts that are on Fox have turned their back on the country,” he said.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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