During a recent presentation at HBO’s New York headquarters, HBO and Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys expressed his apologies to TV critics. This apology followed a report revealing Bloys’ use of fake Twitter accounts to respond to negative reviews of HBO series. Bloys, who is incredibly passionate about the shows HBO produces and the people behind them, explained that his frustration led him to make a very dumb decision to vent on Twitter. He admitted that this approach was not effective, with only six tweets over a year and a half. Bloys acknowledged his mistakes and apologized to those who were mentioned in leaked emails and texts. He stated that engaging in constructive discussions via direct messages is a much healthier way to address criticisms. Bloys concluded his address by showcasing footage from the upcoming season of “True Detective: Night Country”.
Bloys’ statement comes in response to a lawsuit filed against HBO and Bloys by former employee Sully Temori, who claims wrongful termination. While the lawsuit itself does not mention the fake Twitter accounts, Rolling Stone reported on alleged text messages between Bloys and SVP of drama programming Kathleen McCaffrey. These texts revealed conversations about using fake Twitter accounts to respond to negative reviews. Rolling Stone verified these messages through metadata. Temori, who was an executive assistant at the time, was instructed to create a Twitter account under the persona of Kelly Shepard and respond to critics using this account. Temori also revealed that he left anonymous comments on Deadline articles at Bloys’ request. The lawsuit also implicates McCaffrey, HBO head of drama Francesca Orsi, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, and producers of the cancelled HBO drama “The Idol”.
