Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s said they were abandoning MyPillow products amid a reaction to comments made by Mike Lindell, the chief executive of the bedding company, who has been promoting unmasked conspiracy theories involving the election on social media.
Lindell said Kohl’s and Bed Bath & Beyond acted after people on social media started to pressure them, according to an interview published on Monday on a pro-Trump website called Right Side Broadcasting Network. Lindell, who said he spoke to Bed Bath & Beyond minutes before the interview, said, without citing evidence, that the criticism came from false accounts.
Bed Bath & Beyond said on Tuesday that its decision was rooted in the performance of MyPillow. “We have rationalized our assortment to discontinue a series of low-performing items and brands,” said a representative in a statement. A Kohl’s spokeswoman said that “there has been a reduction in customer demand for MyPillow” and that the chain did not plan to buy future inventory after clearing its inventory.
Lindell, whose company is a major advertiser on Fox News, has become a prominent supporter of President Trump. He attracted a wave of attention last week after a photograph of partially visible notes he was carrying for the White House showed a mention of the Insurrection Law. MyPillow also offered a discount code “FightforTrump” on the day of the Capitol riots. On social media, groups like Sleeping Giants, which was created to stifle advertising dollars for Breitbart News, have been asking suppliers about their support for MyPillow products.
Mr. Lindell criticized the Sleeping Giants in the interview.
“These guys don’t understand, they’re scared,” said Lindell of Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s. “They were good partners. In fact, I told them, you can come back whenever you want. “