One of the Largest Protest Subreddits Transformed by Reddit’s Influence

Reddit is now in control of r/malefashionadvice, which was previously the largest subreddit that was closed in protest of the platform’s API pricing changes. The subreddit is now open, but in a restricted mode where only certain users can create new posts.

Last week, the moderators of r/malefashionadvice, a subreddit with more than 5 million subscribers, made the community private and encouraged users to join Discord and Substack instead. They expected to be replaced if they didn’t reopen after receiving a message from a Reddit admin named ModCodeofConduct.

According to three former moderators of r/malefashionadvice, they were removed from the subreddit on Thursday. “Walker,” one of the former mods, stated in an email to The Verge that they were expecting their removal. Currently, the modlist of the community only has one moderator: ModCodeofConduct. Despite the subreddit being “restricted,” someone managed to create a post on Thursday promoting the Discord server.

The Discord server seems to be gaining popularity. “Zach,” another former mod, mentioned that it had 2,000 users last week, but now it has reached 5,000. Walker stated that the community members joining the Discord have been respectful and enjoyable to interact with.

Reddit has not yet responded to a request for comment. Currently, ModCodeofConduct remains the sole moderator of the subreddit:

Currently, the largest subreddit that is still private, according to the Reddark tracker, is r/streetwear. Zach, who is also a mod of that subreddit, mentioned that it has more than 4 million subscribers. This subreddit also has its own Discord server.