HBO’s CEO, Casey Bloys, recently acknowledged engaging in a regrettable practice of using fake online personals to defend the network’s shows and target critics who expressed negative opinions about HBO productions. Bloys admitted to the use of aliases on social media platforms, particularly to counter criticisms and engage in discussions with reviewers whose opinions he disagreed with.
At a promotional event for HBO and Max, Bloys revealed his passion for the shows produced by the network and expressed a desire for widespread appreciation. He explained that while spending an excessive amount of time scrolling through Twitter in 2020 and 2021, he made the ill-advised decision to vent his frustrations by posting six tweets under aliases within a year and a half. However, he acknowledged the ineffectiveness of these actions and extended an apology to those inadvertently involved in the leaked texts.
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The revelation of these actions came following a Rolling Stone report detailing a lawsuit against Bloys and HBO from a former employee, Sully Temori. The lawsuit alleged harassment, retaliation, and discrimination after Temori disclosed a mental health diagnosis and was purportedly asked to create fake online accounts to counter critics’ negative reviews of HBO shows.
Text exchanges between Bloys and HBO’s senior vice president of drama programming, Kathleen McCaffrey, were part of the evidence in the lawsuit. The conversations allegedly involved discussions about targeting critics who expressed negative views about HBO series. Bloys expressed annoyance at critic Kathryn VanArendonk’s review of “Perry Mason,” suggesting responses to her critique and even attempting to manipulate the narrative by deploying a fictitious account named Kelly Shepard.
Bloys and the fake account specifically targeted critics of “The Nevers” and other HBO productions, engaging in contentious interactions with reviewers, notably disparaging their opinions and motivations. The choice to defend “The Nevers,” despite its underwhelming reception with a 49% score on Rotten Tomatoes, drew particular attention, as did the targeting of critics who expressed reservations about various shows.
This episode underscores the broader contemporary challenge of authentic criticism’s value, raising concerns about the authenticity and integrity of online reviews. The controversy reflects a growing trend where studios and entities attempt to influence or manipulate critical opinions, prompting questions about the true essence and reliability of critical evaluation in the current landscape.
