This question is a little confusing, since it's typically accepted that Ovid did end his life in exile on the Black Sea (Constanta, Romania today). There has been some contention over the theory that Ovid was not exiled, but most scholars believe that Ovid was in exile. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid#cite_note-26

Anyway, his works were extremely popular for reasons that are obvious even today--his imagination, artistry, and insight into human nature make his work just as enjoyable today as they would have been 2,000 years ago. Of course, Ovid was also writing at a time when "official" Roman culture had some very conservative trends--think Moral Majority/Family Values.

The exact reasons for Ovid's expulsion are ripe territory for historians and writers alike. In John Williams's "Augustus," Ovid is exiled for being involved with Augustus's daughter, Julia. While fictitious, it is just one imagining of what Ovid refers to as "a letter and a mistake." Given the secrecy of Ovid's exile, he may have been involved in a conspiracy (or framed as such)--though it doesn't necessarily imply that his writing got him in trouble.

My friend doesnt have a reddit account and im trying to convince him but he texted me this.

Mocking gods was done before Ovid, it's done the whole time in Greek tragedy, comedy and even epic. Ancient polytheistic religion is different to modern religions. In classical times we get the impression through literature that ancient Greeks and Romans understood the flaws in all the gods they worshipped. They did not worship them because they were morally perfect and divine. In fact they have always been depicted as morally flawed and therefore morally 'mortal'. (In the Iliad, Athena persuades Hector to fight a suicidal battle against Achilles while knowing that he would die because she supports the Greek side of the battle; In mythology, Hera torments Heracles simply for being the illegitimate child of Zeus; In Hesiod's Theogony, Cronus castrated his father, Oranus for killing all his siblings so none would rise up against him..... Then Cronus does exactly the same with all of Zeus' siblings by eating them and history repeats itself) These are all Greek authors and sources writing before Ovid. Ancient Gods are not depicted as morally correct. They are worshipped because of their power over mortals not because of their perfect morals such as with the Christian god for example (although this example may be disputed by those studying the Old Testament). It may be a good idea to re-read the Metamorphoses with this in mind. Look for demonstrations of the gods power rather than demonstrations of their 'shoddy' moral code.

Dont know if that answers your question. But thought id recognise his effort in texting that much by posting it anyway.