On May 1, 2024, X account @GaryPetersonUSA shared an image purportedly showing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a supporter of former president Donald Trump and prominent denier of 2020 presidential election results, looking emaciated with dark shadows around his eyes:
The photo went viral, with some wondering if it was actually real. This image was a heavily doctored version of a photo that indeed showed Lindell. The X account for Devil's Advocate Radio, a left-leaning Wisconsin political show, shared the original, unedited image on May 1, 2024, several hours before the viral version surfaced.
That original image showed a healthier-looking Lindell with Devil's Advocate Radio host Mike Crute at a campaign rally for Trump in Waukesha, Wisconsin, earlier that day.
@GaryPetersonUSA is a "political satire character" run by an unnamed "Youtube comedian," according to the fact-checking outlet Lead Stories. Speaking to that outlet, the person behind the account confirmed they manipulated the photo and alluded to other less-obvious easter eggs in the creation:
You can rest easy … Mike Lindell has happily not started dressing like a late night horror host, although I don't know if I trust Heckyl & Jeckyl, Dr. Richard Kinball, and the Patriot cat in the background.
… Gary is a political satire character. I'm a YouTube comedian, but a lot of that is movie based, so I created Gary to have a lot of fun with political humor.
Because the photo is doctored, Snopes classifies the image as "Fake."