In what had all the making of a disaster waiting to happen, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday night, saying beforehand that he was allowing himself to be “humiliated” so he could help “save our country.”
At the center of the bizarre stunt is Lindell’s spirited opposition to the use of voting machines, with Kimmel agreeing to the appearance if Lindell would appear in a giant claw machine.
Taking to Twitter, Lindell pitched the stunt: “I am going on Jimmy Kimmel tonight! I know I will be attacked but we have to get rid of the voting machines and I am willing to be humiliated to help get the word out and save our country!”
I am going on Jimmy Kimmel tonight!
I know I will be attacked but we have to get rid of the voting machines and I am willing to be humiliated to help get the word out and save our country! pic.twitter.com/1e4r3Z76PS— Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) January 31, 2023
“[They say] Mike, don’t do it! He’s going to attack you,” Lindell said in the video. “Why did you agree to go inside of a claw game? … I did because you can’t go into the studio if you’re not vaccinated, and of course, I’m not vaccinated.”
“They said you can do it from the claw game,” he continued. “Well, maybe I’ll find out that that claw game was rigged … But in all seriousness, I’ll do whatever it takes to help save our country and we have to get rid of the electronic voting machines. We have to secure our election platforms and do same day voting, hand-counted paper ballots and if this helps I’m all for it.”
As for the appearance, there was nothing remarkable about it, other than Lindell’s willingness to be a good sport and try to get a serious message out while Kimmel and his small army of writers took potshots at him.
“To help him overcome his debilitating fear of machines, we have installed him inside a claw machine,” Kimmel announced.
In his monologue, Kimmel disputed Lindell’s claim that his vaccine status was a factor: “I did not insist that Mike be in a claw machine because he’s not vaccinated. I insisted he be in a claw machine because it’s hilarious.”
“This isn’t a political statement,” he added. “This is just for fun.”
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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