Former HBO Max execs say layoffs have contributed to the lack of diversity: ‘I don’t think anyone knows just how white the staff is’

The plot continues to thicken with Warner Bros. Discovery honcho David Zaslav’s ongoing plans to dismantle the popular HBO Max streaming platform. We already knew that animated and family-orientated content was in the CEO’s crosshairs, but according to a new report, the media conglomerate has actively targeted people of color in its recent layoffs of about 70 employees — or about 14 percent of the staff.

And according to two former HBO Max executives who spoke with the Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity, those layoffs were actually by design, as Zaslav wants to steer away from diverse content that appears to coastal elites in a bid to court the white middle America demographic that appeals to Discovery Plus users.

“I don’t think anyone knows just how white the staff is,” one former executive admitted to the publication.

HBO Max executive vice president of drama Joey Chavez is allegedly one of the few remaining people of color on staff, while one source thinks that “there may be one Black woman” over at the HBO cable channel, which operates independently. Although, the source ominously added: “Maybe.”

“The layoffs have ‘amplified the lack of diversity at HBO,’ another former executive told The Daily Beast. ‘HBO is the most homogenous part of this umbrella. Instead of trying to figure out how to integrate some of the [Max] executives into HBO, they just made this sweeping cut of three divisions: kids, family, and international. A lot of Black and brown people lost their jobs.’”

The biggest shakeup within HBO Max so far was obviously the company’s decision to shelve the $90 million DC movie Batgirl, Afro-Latina actress Leslie Grace, in lieu of a money-saving tax break. The move was widely decried by fans, who are now hoping for a leaked screener in order to gain access to the film.

Tax breaks were also reportedly the motive to justify gutting dozens of titles from the platform, including movies, TV shows, and specials — since the company can only claim tax breaks for content it’s not actively profiting from.

The pivot to more white bread fare appealing to conservatives also puts Zaslav’s decision to can the CNN Plus streaming platform after just one month under a magnifying glass, as well as the recent ousting of longtime CNN correspondent Brian Stelter.

“One former exec describes Discovery+ as a ‘more general audience platform that doesn’t have the specificity that HBO Max was tailored to. I think Discovery is just a very ‘all’ audience, [they] don’t wanna make things that are political, topical, alienate Middle America — more Chip and Joanna,” they said, referring to the home renovation show Fixer Upper: Welcome Home hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines.'”

‘If David Zaslav had his wish, he would just program Chip and Joanna all day long,” the executive said. “There was just a massive, ‘We don’t need you. You’re not offering the things we’re focused on.’”

The Daily Beast’s reporting also lends credence to the theory that Warner Bros. Discovery plans to eventually mash HBO Max and Discovery Plus into a single streaming platform. “Don’t be surprised if there’s a new name for the platform,” warned one laid-off executive.