The CEO and chairman of HBO, Casey Bloys, confessed to tasking staff with creating a fake Twitter account to criticize TV critics. The executive then apologized to the critics who were targeted at a press conference.
His apologies came one day after Rolling Stone published a story detailing a lawsuit brought against the exec and HBO by former employee Sully Temori. The former employee claims to have been terminated unfairly.
Rolling Stone referenced some supposed 2020 and 2021 text messages between Bloys and SVP of drama programming Kathleen McCaffrey. However, these messages were not part of the lawsuit.
The texts between Bloys and McCaffrey reportedly involve responding to critics’ negative comments on HBO series like Perry Mason and Mare of Easttown with fake Twitter accounts. Rolling Stone also claims the messages provided by Temori were checked and verified using their metadata.
HBO Chief Casey Bloys Admits Using Fake Accounts to Slam Reviews
HBO boss Casey Bloys admitted and apologized for using fake accounts to fire back critics who comment negatively about the HBO shows.
Speaking at the HBO event in New York on Thursday, Bloys staved off possible questions about the Rolling Stone Report (via BBC),
“You may be aware or not aware that there was an article that dropped yesterday… I thought I might as well talk about it up front.”
The exec described himself as “very, very passionate” by adding that it’s “very important to me what you all think about the shows.” In 2020 and 2021, Bloys acknowledged he was “working from home, spending an unhealthy amount of time scrolling through Twitter.” And so he “came up with a very, very unhealthy idea to vent my frustration.”
While Bloys admitted that “six tweets over a year and a half is not very effective,” he also offered an apology to the critics he’d targeted by saying:
“I do apologize to the people who were mentioned in the leaked emails and texts. Obviously, nobody wants to be part of a story that they have nothing to do with.”
After that, the HBO chief started the presentation with footage from the upcoming season of True Detective: Night Country.
HBO Chief’s Admission of Using Fake Account Sparks Internet Backlash
Fans had a lot to say after Casey Bloys’ admission at the press event. They shared their opinions and reactions on X’s (formerly Twitter) post made by Discussing Film.
Over this one HBO fan reacted (@Sharito742): “Yikes. Between this, no new content worth watching at HBO Max and the licensing of great HBO shows to other streaming services; it isn’t looking good.”
Check other fans reactions below:
this is like the poorest excuse ever😭
— juaan (@juaangng_) November 2, 2023
Responsibility is good but you have to resign.
— Agbor Gideon (@Gidtobar) November 2, 2023
He’s only sorry because he got caught.
— Steve (@BxknownSteve) November 2, 2023
They are destroying the HBO brand
There is no forgiving
— AntiPonzista from The Forces of Heaven (@PonzistaAnti) November 2, 2023
I almost canceled my sub because of this. Terminate him.
— Leo Roberts (@leorobsea) November 2, 2023
Fans seem let down by the exec’s actions, and according to them, Bloys’ behavior has harmed HBO’s long-term reputation.
