November 2nd 2023.
Casey Bloys, HBO and Max's CEO, recently apologised for instructing staff to make fake social media accounts in order to troll TV critics who wrote negative reviews. At a press conference held to unveil the 2024 programming slate, Bloys was candid about his passion for the shows he works on.
"For those of you who know me, you know that I am a programming executive very, very passionate about the shows that we decide to do. And the people who do them and the people who work on them," he said. "I want the shows to be great. I want people to love them. I want you all to love them. It’s very important to me what you all think of the shows."
Bloys admitted that his frustration during the pandemic led to a "very, very dumb idea". "I'm working from home and doing an unhealthy amount of scrolling through Twitter. And I come up with a very, very dumb idea to vent my frustration," he said.
The admission came days after Rolling Stone published details about a lawsuit from former employee Sully Temori, who claims to have been wrongfully terminated. The publication included information about alleged text messages sent in 2020 and 2021 between Bloys and Kathleen McCaffrey. In the messages, they spoke about replying to critics who wrote negatively about HBO series, including The Nevers, Perry Mason, and Mare of Easttown.
"Who can go on a mission?" Bloys asked McCaffrey in an alleged text from June 2020. He added that they needed a "mole" who could be kept at "arms length" from the HBO executive team. Temori claims he was told to make a Twitter account after the exchange, and used the fake persona Kelly Shepard.
Bloys apologised for the unusual business decision, and for the people mentioned in the leaked emails and texts. He concluded his speech by saying, "Obviously, nobody wants to be part of a story that they have nothing to do with. But also, as many of you know, I have progressed over the past couple of years to using DMs."
Sully Temori's wrongful termination lawsuit is against HBO, McCaffrey, HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi, Abel The Weeknd Tesfaye, and two producers for The Idol. Temori alleges he was mistreated on the set of the series, where he worked as a scripted coordinator after moving from an executive assistant role.
The story has made waves in the entertainment industry, and it's clear that Bloys is now taking responsibility for his actions and apologising to all those affected. Hopefully, this situation will serve as a reminder to all of us to think twice before we act on our emotions.
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