Reddit’s r/Art implodes as mods resign after controversial artist ban

Reddit’s massive r/Art community descended into chaos after artist Hayden Clay was permanently banned for mentioning prints in a post, triggering a wave of backlash that ended with the subreddit’s moderators resigning.

With more than 22 million subscribers, r/Art is one of Reddit’s largest creative hubs, but the situation escalated rapidly on November 24.

Clay, posting under the username Strawbear, shared his new artwork titled Clear Boundaries. In the caption, he briefly mentioned prints—something the subreddit forbids. Moderator neodiogenes messaged Clay about the rule violation, which quickly escalated into a heated exchange. Clay apologized but criticized the mod as “power hungry,” questioning whether there was a personal vendetta.

Messages shared by Clay showed tense responses from the moderator, including comments like, “I don’t even know who the f*** you are.” Shortly after, Clay received a permanent ban from the subreddit and a three-day Reddit-wide suspension, further fueling the controversy.

Users began protesting by posting the word “print” under random submissions, leading moderators to lock down all r/Art posts—disabling comments, awards, and new submissions. External platforms also took notice, with X users highlighting the subreddit’s sudden lockdown.

On November 26, the drama reached its peak when r/Art moderators announced their resignation with a simple message: “You win. We all resign.” The post received over 23,000 downvotes. According to reports, the head moderator removed all other mods in what some described as a “power trip.”

The subreddit remains locked, with no new posts appearing since the resignations. Meanwhile, Clay’s posts about the situation have gone viral, gaining millions of views and rallying significant support from the wider art community.