I think we got lucky honestly.
In the wake of The Amazing Digital Circus, I think the Smiling Friends fanbase was way too harsh on itself. People drawing porn or making dumb theories or looking too deeply into the show is absolutely nothing compared to whatever unholy internet plague TADC accidentally unleashed. Seriously, I’ve seen more unfettered insanity over a purple rabbit character than I ever could’ve imagined.
I didn’t buy the argument that Zach and Michael chose to end Smiling Friends because of its fanbase before, but I absolutely don’t now, because now I’ve seen what a terrible fanbase looks like. And this isn’t a dig against that show, I’ve only seen a couple episodes but I liked it fine.