Reddit’s mods have unionized, protesting the company’s proposed changes to its API. Reddit wants to charge third party apps for access to the site, a move which may for some beloved third party apps to shut down. In response, some of the site’s most popular subreddits went dark for 48 hours earlier this week. Some subreddits remain inaccessible. Others have returned to business as usual, save for a pinned post from mods explaining why the blackout happened. But r/pics did something a little different. Subreddits r/pics, r/gifs, and r/aww have allowed posting to resume, but only if it’s pics, gifs, or aww moments of Last Week Tonight host John Oliver.
The move, as the Verge reported, came after mods polled members. Folks were given the option of 1) coming back to business as usual, or 2) only post John Oliver content. r/pics voted overwhelmingly to “only allow images of John Oliver looking sexy,†by 37,331 votes. John Oliver supports the initiative, posting to Twitter a thread of candids to bolster the back catalog of Oliveriana. Below are some highlights.