"As someone who loves and used to respect you: What happened to you?”

Among the interviewees was the best man at Masters’ wedding, Collin Wedel, now a partner at a corporate law firm in California. Wedel said he was alerted by his brothers to tweets from Masters account last year, and he replied to one in November that called coronavirus vaccine mandates evil.

“Shame on you,” Wedel replied from his private account. “I’m so utterly disappointed in what you’ve done with yourself. People will get sick, and die, because of your reckless rhetoric. As someone who loves and used to respect you: What happened to you?”

Masters responded with a screenshot of the tweet, which he shared with his tens of thousands of followers. Wedel was harassed by callers at work and at home, and he called the police after receiving threatening materials in the mail.

“Collin was a best friend growing up. He told me about the famous class where I met Peter Thiel, and he was best man at my wedding,” Masters told his followers. “The most deadly virus we face is progressivism, it rots both brains and nations. I wish Collin well—but freedom is worth losing friends over.”