TV host Jim Cramer says he had to hire a bodyguard after bashing GameStop’s meme rally in 2021

• Jim Cramer hired a bodyguard after threats from retail investors during the 2021 meme stock rally.

• Cramer says he believed the stock never should have passed $400.

• GameStop shares have been volatile since the meme craze. The stock is down 15% in 2025.

Jim Cramer‘s take on the meme stock mania of 2021 drew the ire of a powerful group that was swaying markets during the pandemic: retail traders.

The “Mad Money” host recounted that he had to hire a bodyguard after he angered some retail investors in 2021 at the peak of the pandemic’s bout of meme stock mania that boosted GameStop and other stocks to dizzying heights.

Cramer, who was in the hospital recovering from a back surgery at the time, said he thought he was hallucinating when he saw shares of GameStop rip higher, he said during an episode of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast on Monday.

After shares of the gaming retailer quadrupled, Cramer said he ripped out his catheter and phoned Carl Quintana and David Faber, two of his fellow hosts at CNBC.

“[I] said, ‘This is ridiculous. Everybody has to sell.’ After that, it was 24/7 bodyguard,” Cramer said.

In January 2021, Cramer called into CNBC from the hospital and urged GameStop investors to sell.

“Take the home run. Don’t go for the grand slam. Take the home run. You’ve already won. You’ve won the game. You’re done,” Cramer said on the network’s “Squawk on the Street” program.

Cramer, a former hedge fund manager known for his bold stock calls on the air, said he believed GameStop stock shouldn’t have been valued above $400, which it briefly soared beyond as shares ascended to their peak during the pandemic.

The stock ended up plummeting to around $10 a share in mid-February as hype for the struggling retailer finally died out.

GameStop stock has been on a rollercoaster ever since its short-squeeze in 2021, but it retains a dedicated following among some retail investors, who periodically reignite fresh meme-like rallies.

GameStop shares traded around $27 on Monday. The stock is down about 15% year-to-date.

Read the original article on Business Insider