Podcasts hosts kicked out of anti-mask protest for wearing face coverings

A podcast was derailed after its hosts were caught wearing masks at an anti-mask rally.

In a viral TikTok video taken from Podcast But Outside, hosts Andrew Michaan and Cole Hersch are confronted by protestors for wearing masks at an anti-mask rally in Yorba Linda, California.

As well as protesting masks, the rally was organised in opposition to the 10PM curfew imposed on California.

In the podcast, Michaan and Hersch typically have light-hearted conversations with strangers outdoors, though this episode played out much differently, as the pair were berated with accusations that their masks don’t work.

The pair have previously hosted episodes in potentially contentious areas without any incident, including one episode at a Donald Trump rally.

As they introduce the podcast, the hosts are interrupted by one woman who warns them that they won’t be received very well and that there have been violent “incidents” in the past.

A man then walks up to the pair to ask them why they’re wearing masks if they’re still violating the curfew. Hersch responds by joking that they are “anti-maskers” themselves but they have the coronavirus and they want to “protect people”

The man replies: “I’ve had the virus and I’d personally rather have it 10 more times than wear a stupid thing on my face forever.”

The woman then tells them she’s not okay with them being at the protest if they have the virus, to which Hersch replies that it’s why they’re wearing a mask. She responds by telling him that masks don’t work and the hosts quickly decide to leave.

In the full episode posted on YouTube, the pair also have a discussion about what happened at the protest. “Cole and I were setting up and they seemed pretty nice to us and they seemed excited about what we were doing,” Michaan says. “And then the moment those cloths touched our faces, it definitely changed the vibe."

“Essentially, we were threatened with violence,” Hersch adds.

Listeners were baffled by the confrontation, and conceded that the hosts made the right choice in leaving.

“Ironic that the anti maskers are anti-mask because they think it's infringing upon people's freedom, and then they proceed to kick out two people who are using their freedom to wear masks,” one fan commented.

“Good decision in leaving,” another wrote. “No point in having a violent, antagonistic episode where you'll have little control over the situation.”

Despite the protests, Orange County police have said they won’t actually enforce the curfew.