Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World and star of reality shows about small businesses The Profit (CNBC) and The Fixer (Fox), is the new executive chairman of the home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond, which had gone bankrupt and closed all of its stores in 2023.
In a statement this month, Lemonis announced that Bed, Bath & Beyond, Beyond, Inc. (NYSE:BYON), will not open or operate stores in the state of California.
He wrote: “This decision isn’t about politics – it’s about reality. California has created one of the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America. It’s a system that makes it harder to employ people, harder to keep doors open, and harder to deliver value to customers.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s Press Office responded on X, saying: “After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed. We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store.”
After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed.
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 20, 2025
We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store. https://t.co/jJt6i5icEx
On Monday, Lemonis sent an invitation on social media: “Who wants to ring the bell with me Tuesday September 2nd at the @NYSE for @BedBathBeyond?”
One of the X users to respond to Lemonis’s invitation to join him at NYSE is Mike Lindell, a prominent supporter of — and advisor to — President Trump. Lindell replied: “Hi Marcus! MyPillow was an early contributor to the success of Bed, Bath and Beyond! I would love to join you at the NYSE to ring in the bell to mark the re-launch and comeback of one of MyPillow’s most successful nationwide partners!”
“Hi Marcus! MyPillow was an early contributor to the success of Bed, Bath and Beyond! I would love to join you at the NYSE to ring in the bell to mark the re-launch and comeback of one of MyPillow’s most successful nationwide partners!" https://t.co/HqRCGEWU6T pic.twitter.com/G3HsThSNVC
— Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) August 27, 2025
Several MAGA supporters responded with enthusiasm to the idea of Lindell joining Lemonis in New York and claims that they stopped shopping at Bed Bath Beyond “when they screwed My Pillow.”
Note: Some national retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond stopped carrying My Pillow products in 2021. Lindell said it was a result of his claims relating to the 2020 presidential election results (Lindell said it was “rigged” and that Trump won), although Bed Bath & Beyond said it was due to market research and low customer demand. (The Better Business Bureau revoked accreditation of My Pillow in 2017, lowering its rating to an F based on a “pattern of complaints” by consumers.)
During the first Trump administration, Lemonis criticized Trump for his response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and warned CEOs about not speaking up.
At the time, Lemonis said: “I’m concerned about certain CEOs dancing on the fence, fearing retaliation or fearing something. It’s scary right now.”
In March 2025, prior to Trump applying large tariffs on goods from countries across the world on what he called “Liberation Day,” Lemonis said that the American dream of business ownership “is more than alive and well.” He added: “Don’t let anybody convince anybody that the American entrepreneur is anything but excited about this administration.”
Despite the Lemonis optimism, tariffs are having a negative impact on some small businesses, including those owned by avid Trump supporters. Grabbing national attention recently was the Trump booster and American knife maker Josh Smith, whose business — started in his garage during the pandemic — thrived during the Biden administration but is taking an unexpected hit, despite being “made in America”, from the new Trump tariffs.
Asking Trump to penalize others, but not him, Smith requested “nuance” on a recent podcast episode, saying: “Punish the guy making the knives in Taiwan and in China. I’m fine with that. But I’m the guy making knives in America, Donald Trump. Don’t punish me for making knives in America by tariffing my equipment and my steel supply…That’s called nuance in your policies, and that’s what I’m asking for.”
