- Subscribers
- 25,949,825
- Average Upvotes
- 6351.2
- Average Comments
- 277.9
- Min. Upvotes to HOT
- 323
r/nottheonion
Best Time to Post on r/nottheonion (UTC TIME)
r/nottheonion peaks Wednesdays 10pm-12am UTC
nottheonion Subscriber Count - redditli.st
What to Post and How to Rank on r/nottheonion
Best Topics & Content Types
The most successful content in r/nottheonion consists of real news stories with headlines so absurd they seem fabricated by The Onion. Top performing examples include legislative proposals with ridiculous premises like "Tennessee bill would allow officers to carry guns while under the influence" and "Florida bill would ban dogs from sticking their heads out car windows," as well as bizarre human interest stories such as "Heinz wants to find the man who survived nearly a month at sea with nothing but ketchup and seasonings." The subreddit exclusively features link posts to legitimate news articles rather than images, videos, or text posts—the rules explicitly prohibit blogs, social media content, and tabloid stories. The magic formula appears to be straightforward journalistic reporting of events that defy belief, where the headline itself contains the perfect blend of specificity and absurdity that makes readers immediately question reality. Political oddities, legal absurdities, and corporate missteps that read like satire but are verifiably real dominate the top posts.
Writing Style & Tone
The writing style for posts follows a strict "copy and paste exactly as written" approach with zero alterations to headlines, creating an unintentional comedic effect through straight-faced journalistic reporting of absurd situations. The tone emerges entirely from the original news source's serious treatment of ridiculous subject matter—the contrast between formal news language and implausible content generates the humor. Successful posts maintain complete neutrality, allowing the inherent absurdity to speak for itself without any added commentary or embellishment from the poster. The subreddit's culture favors headlines written in standard news format that contain their own punchline, such as "'Can brother, sister make love; write in 300 words': Pakistan university's question paper draws flak" [indiansingulf.in](https://indiansingulf.in/world/). There's no expectation for posters to be funny—the humor comes from reality being stranger than fiction.
What Gets Upvoted
Highly upvoted posts share the quality of being immediately recognizable as "this could be The Onion" while being provably real. The top posts like "South Florida pregnant inmate seeks release, saying unborn baby is innocent of crimes" [foxnews.com](https://foxnews.com/us/sou...) demonstrate the perfect balance of bureaucratic absurdity presented with complete seriousness. Stories that involve institutional actions (particularly government or corporate) taking ridiculous ideas to logical extremes perform exceptionally well. The community rewards posts where the headline alone conveys the surreal nature of the story without needing additional context—readers should instantly understand why it belongs in r/nottheonion. Posts that generate discussion about "how is this real?" rather than skepticism about authenticity tend to gain the most traction, as the subreddit's entire premise rests on verifying that these insane situations actually occurred.
What to Avoid
Altering headlines in any way beyond converting all-caps to title case will get posts removed—the rules are explicit about requiring exact headline copying [reddit.com](https://old.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/). Content that isn't sufficiently "Oniony" (the subreddit's term for satirical-feeling real news) gets redirected to r/OffBeat, as moderators note "most submissions do not make the cut." Avoid serious news stories without that essential layer of absurdity, as this isn't a general news subreddit. The community also prohibits personal attacks, racism, and witch hunting [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/), and bans users who post contact information. Posts linking to non-news sources like blogs or social media perform poorly, as the rules strictly require legitimate news articles. Most importantly, avoid anything that feels intentionally humorous—the magic comes from reality accidentally creating satire.
Posting Tips
Always copy headlines verbatim from the primary news source, checking that no bylines, subtitles, or additional text gets included—moderators remove posts with even minor alterations [reddit.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20151211225557/www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/wiki/nto101). Before posting, scan recent submissions to avoid duplicates, as the sidebar explicitly asks users to "review current posts to avoid reposting." Prioritize stories from reputable news outlets rather than obscure sources, as credibility is essential to the subreddit's premise. The most successful posts feature headlines where the absurdity is immediately apparent without explanation—readers should grasp why it belongs here within seconds. When engaging with comments, maintain the community's tone of bemused disbelief rather than adding jokes, as the subreddit thrives on recognizing reality's inherent humor. Remember that removals aren't personal but reflect the subreddit's "editorialized" nature with strict content standards—moderators note these decisions are "simply the results of our content model" [reddit.com](https://old.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/).
About r/nottheonion
r/nottheonion was created on October 25, 2008, making it 17 years and 4 months old and one of the earliest subreddits on Reddit. With 25,949,825 members, this is one of Reddit's largest communities, placing it among the top subreddits on the platform.
r/nottheonion is slowly growing, with 25,626 new members in the last 30 days.
r/nottheonion is a large and highly engaged Reddit community centered on sharing verifiable real-world events that possess a satirical or absurdist quality indistinguishable from content published by *The Onion*. With 25,947,277 members, the subreddit demonstrates significant activity, averaging 2,857.3 upvotes and 163.9 comments per post. This consistent engagement reflects a collective fascination with the inherent strangeness of contemporary reality, where users actively seek and validate stories that provoke disbelief due to their seemingly fictional plausibility. Peak posting occurs Friday evenings (8pm-10pm UTC), suggesting the community functions as a weekly ritual for users winding down the workweek, sharing and processing the week's most incredulous yet authentic societal moments.
The community culture is defined by a distinct blend of bemusement, dark humor, and a shared recognition of modern absurdity. Posts typically feature headline news snippets, official documents, social media screenshots, or photographs documenting real incidents—such as corporate missteps, political gaffes, bizarre legislation, or unintentionally ironic public statements—that evoke the tone of satirical journalism. Strict moderation enforces sourcing requirements, mandating credible links to verify authenticity, which cultivates a space where the humor stems directly from the confirmation that reality often exceeds fiction. The prevailing vibe is one of communal "reality-check" amusement; comments frequently dissect *why* a story feels satirical, explore the underlying societal quirks it reveals, or draw parallels to *The Onion*'s style, fostering discussion that is witty yet grounded in factual verification.
What distinguishes r/nottheonion is its unique niche as a curator of reality-based satire. Unlike humor subreddits reliant on original jokes or memes, its value lies entirely in the collective identification of pre-existing, verified absurdities within the real world. This focus provides a specific lens for understanding contemporary culture, highlighting how frequently genuine events mimic crafted satire. The subreddit is particularly valuable for individuals seeking respite from overtly opinionated discourse, offering instead a space to process societal oddities through a shared sense of ironic recognition. The ideal member or lurker is media-literate, appreciates dark or observational humor rooted in truth, and enjoys dissecting the peculiarities of modern life without the filter of overt commentary—a passive consumer of curated reality or an active participant in the communal verification of life’s inherent strangeness.
r/nottheonion Engagement Analysis
r/nottheonion shows moderate engagement relative to its size, with an average of 6351.2 upvotes per post across its 25,949,825 members. The community is primarily content-consumption focused, with a comment-to-upvote ratio of 0.04. To reach the Hot section of r/nottheonion, posts typically need at least 323 upvotes, reflecting the community's activity level.
Posts on r/nottheonion receive an average of 277.9 comments, indicating a community that primarily engages through upvoting content. Posts tend to be appreciated more through voting than through discussion in the comments.
r/nottheonion Posting Patterns Analysis
Based on an analysis of 100 top posts from the past week, Wednesday is the most active day with 20 posts reaching the top, while Sunday sees the least activity with 10 posts. Weekday activity is higher than weekends, suggesting a more professionally-oriented community.
The peak posting hours are around 10pm UTC (10 posts), 1pm UTC (9 posts), and 1am UTC (9 posts). The quietest hours are 7am UTC, 6am UTC, and 9am UTC, with only 1-1 posts each reaching the top during these times.
Weekly breakdown: Monday (12), Tuesday (10), Wednesday (20), Thursday (18), Friday (18), Saturday (12), Sunday (10) posts reaching the top.
r/nottheonion Growth Analysis
r/nottheonion currently has 25,949,825 subscribers. Over the past 30 days, the community has grown by 25,626 members (0.1%), averaging 754 new subscribers per day. This growth rate places r/nottheonion in the top 73% of all tracked subreddits.
Over the past 90 days, r/nottheonion has gained 58,536 subscribers (0.23%). Since tracking began 575 days ago, the community has added 1,513,229 total subscribers.
r/nottheonion Milestones
- Reached 25M subscribers Nov 2024
- Fastest growth period: +127,292 subscribers Aug 2024
r/nottheonion Growth Trend
r/nottheonion is slowly growing, with 25,626 new members in the last 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many subscribers does r/nottheonion have?
r/nottheonion has 25,949,825 subscribers as of March 2026.
What is the best time to post on r/nottheonion?
The best time to post on r/nottheonion is Wednesdays 10pm-12am UTC, based on analysis of top-performing posts from the past week.
Is r/nottheonion growing?
r/nottheonion is slowly growing, with 25,626 new members in the last 30 days.
When was r/nottheonion created?
r/nottheonion was created on October 25, 2008, making it 17 years old.
How many upvotes do you need to reach Hot on r/nottheonion?
Posts on r/nottheonion typically need at least 323 upvotes to reach the Hot section.
r/nottheonion Key Statistics Summary
r/nottheonion is a Reddit community with 25,949,825 subscribers. The community describes itself as: "For true stories that you could have sworn were from The Onion." The best time to post on r/nottheonion is Wednesdays 10pm-12am UTC. Posts receive an average of 6351.2 upvotes and 277.9 comments. The minimum upvotes needed to reach the Hot section is approximately 323. The subreddit is adding approximately 754 new members each day. Founded 17 years ago, r/nottheonion is tracked and analyzed by RedditList as part of its comprehensive database of over 106,347 subreddits.
Compare r/nottheonion
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Last updated: 2026-03-07 07:00:56