The Toast, a much-beloved blog founded by Nicole Cliffe and Mallory Ortberg in 2013, will be no more.

The blog, which publishes a wide collection of (mostly funny) articles from popular culture to personal essays and pays its freelance contributors, will be closing on July 1.

In a May 13 exchange and statement about the publication’s upcoming closure, the editors said:

MALLORY: WHEW. First of all, we should start by saying No, this is not a joke and Yes, this is really happening. We would never joke about this, we would not do that to you! But we are closing the site, and it’s funny to be talking about it with all of you guys now, because Nicole, you and I have been talking about this for what, six months now? At least?

NICOLE: I think that is EXACTLY how long we have been discussing it! The conversation started when revenues were down, and I had to carry payroll for a month or two out of my personal account, which I had not had to do since shortly after we started this whole project. We tweaked some things (added an ad or two which we had stripped back for the redesign, reminded people about ad-blockers and their impact on our ability to turn a profit, etc.) and revenue went back up a bit, but for a hot minute, you’ll remember I was like: “Theoretically, if this industry went further into the ground which it most assuredly will, would we want to keep running the site as a vanity project? Probably not! We would just stop doing it.”

And having said that out loud, we both felt a FRISSON OF ENERGY, which took us by surprise, because we have loved making this site together so much. I honestly do not remember which of us was the first to say “well, revenue is sort-of getting back on track, but how long do we want to keep doing this anyway?” but I do remember what a relief it was that we both felt that the answer was “less than a year.”

Ultimately, the editors said that decreased revenue and lack of potential solutions led them to make the decision, “In a sea of imperfect options.”

The editors don’t “want anyone to start a Save The Toast campaign of any kind,” though, says Cliffe.

“No Kickstarters, please,” Ortberg concurred.

Earlier this month, we also saw the passing of Bookslut, another blog founded by Jessa Crispin.

Photo Credit: The Toast.