It Took Being Publicly Exposed, But HBO Head Honcho Admits Creating Fake Twitter Accounts To Troll Negative Reviews Was A ‘Very Dumb Idea’
Social media strikes again.
In the early days of the pandemic, many of us got a little punchy while being cooped up at home. Admittedly, the landscape of entertainment wasn’t as robust as the 2023 TV schedule seems by comparison (at least in the pre-strike days), and people had their own ways of letting off steam. HBO CEO Casey Bloys took things farther than most, though, and he admitted to engaging in the “very, very dumb idea” of starting fake Twitter accounts dedicated to trolling critics and others sharing negative reviews regarding his network’s projects.
The Story Of Casey Bloys’ 'Very Very Dumb' Twitter Account
A crazy twist to this story is that we’re just finding out now, thanks to Bloys’ being publicly exposed during a recent HBO event (via THR). Allegations were already floating tied to faux social media accounts from high-profile execs, per a Rolling Stone report, and in the midst of the CEO presenting an outlook for both Max's and the premium cabler's 2024 programming picture, he made the following admission:
The allegations in question are tied to texts from Casey Bloys encouraging at least one employee to “go on a mission” to engage a TV critic on social media. It was a post about the recently canceled Perry Mason that sparked this particular flame, and it led to several further instances of Bloys using Twitter as a way to combat seemingly subpar reactions to then-new HBO shows. Upon looking back at his publicly exposed actions, the CEO has apologized for those past transgressions.
Casey Bloys’ Response To The Fake Tweet Scandal
Admitting one made a mistake tends to be the first big step towards mending fences, and that’s exactly what it feels like Casey Bloys attempted to do with his response. Further fleshing out the story of his Twitter activities, and the aftermath that’s currently playing out, the HBO bigwig also claimed to have learned the following lessons in social media communication, saying:
Was what Casey Bloys did “very very stupid?” That’s more of a discussion for an open forum, and one can be sure those kinds of discussions are happening as we speak. However, by revealing the headspace he was in and the steps he’s taken as a lesson learned after the fact, the media exec at least made his apology come across as more than just word soup for those in attendance.
Now if we could get someone to admit that canceling Westworld one season shy of completion was a mistake, or that removing Zack Snyder’s Justice League for Europeans with Max subscriptions was an equally huge misstep. In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open for news coming out of HBO’s presentation today, as who knows what other potential bombshells and exciting reveals could occur.
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Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.