diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/home_timeline/index.js b/app/soapbox/features/home_timeline/index.js
index f65198187..51d96beb5 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/features/home_timeline/index.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/home_timeline/index.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const mapStateToProps = state => {
     isPartial: state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'isPartial']),
     siteTitle: state.getIn(['instance', 'title']),
     isLoading: state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'isLoading'], true),
+    loadingFailed: state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'loadingFailed'], false),
     isEmpty: state.getIn(['timelines', 'home', 'items'], ImmutableOrderedSet()).isEmpty(),
     features,
   };
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ class HomeTimeline extends React.PureComponent {
     isPartial: PropTypes.bool,
     siteTitle: PropTypes.string,
     isLoading: PropTypes.bool,
+    loadingFailed: PropTypes.bool,
     isEmpty: PropTypes.bool,
     features: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
   };
@@ -99,9 +101,9 @@ class HomeTimeline extends React.PureComponent {
   }
 
   render() {
-    const { intl, siteTitle, isLoading, isEmpty, features } = this.props;
+    const { intl, siteTitle, isLoading, loadingFailed, isEmpty, features } = this.props;
     const { done } = this.state;
-    const showSuggestions = features.suggestions && isEmpty && !isLoading && !done;
+    const showSuggestions = features.suggestions && isEmpty && !isLoading && !loadingFailed && !done;
 
     return (
       <Column label={intl.formatMessage(messages.title)} transparent={!showSuggestions}>
diff --git a/app/soapbox/reducers/timelines.js b/app/soapbox/reducers/timelines.js
index 058a40b70..616152248 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/reducers/timelines.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/reducers/timelines.js
@@ -68,11 +68,17 @@ const setLoading = (state, timelineId, loading) => {
   return state.update(timelineId, initialTimeline, timeline => timeline.set('isLoading', loading));
 };
 
+// Keep track of when a timeline failed to load
+const setFailed = (state, timelineId, failed) => {
+  return state.update(timelineId, initialTimeline, timeline => timeline.set('loadingFailed', failed));
+};
+
 const expandNormalizedTimeline = (state, timelineId, statuses, next, isPartial, isLoadingRecent) => {
   const newIds = getStatusIds(statuses);
 
   return state.update(timelineId, initialTimeline, timeline => timeline.withMutations(timeline => {
     timeline.set('isLoading', false);
+    timeline.set('loadingFailed', false);
     timeline.set('isPartial', isPartial);
 
     if (!next && !isLoadingRecent) timeline.set('hasMore', false);
@@ -284,6 +290,13 @@ const importStatus = (state, status, idempotencyKey) => {
   });
 };
 
+const handleExpandFail = (state, timelineId) => {
+  return state.withMutations(state => {
+    setLoading(state, timelineId, false);
+    setFailed(state, timelineId, true);
+  });
+};
+
 export default function timelines(state = initialState, action) {
   switch(action.type) {
   case STATUS_CREATE_REQUEST:
@@ -293,7 +306,7 @@ export default function timelines(state = initialState, action) {
   case TIMELINE_EXPAND_REQUEST:
     return setLoading(state, action.timeline, true);
   case TIMELINE_EXPAND_FAIL:
-    return setLoading(state, action.timeline, false);
+    return handleExpandFail(state, action.timeline);
   case TIMELINE_EXPAND_SUCCESS:
     return expandNormalizedTimeline(state, action.timeline, fromJS(action.statuses), action.next, action.partial, action.isLoadingRecent);
   case TIMELINE_UPDATE: