Trolling is part and parcel of social media life, and it’s something a lot of people have simply gotten used to for better and worse. However, very rarely do high-ranking executives at major multimedia companies find themselves caught up in the middle of it, but Casey Bloys has been engulfed by scandal.
His official title is Chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content, which on paper would lead you to believe that he’d be above biting back at critics who leave negative responses or bad reviews on TV shows he’s directly involved in overseeing. And yet, Rolling Stone has dropped a bombshell that’s proven the opposite to be true.
The company hasn’t disputed the claims being made, and Bloys has been confirmed to be speaking to the press later today on this very matter, so it’s pretty damning whatever way you want to cut it. One critic had plenty to say on an episode of the now-canceled Perry Mason using wartime flashbacks as backstory and character development, which seems innocuous enough.
According to Rolling Stone, though, Bloys rallied the troops and tweeted senior VP Kathleen McCaffrey to say that “Maybe a Twitter user should tweet that that’s a pretty blithe response to what soldiers legitimately go through on [the] battlefield,” he texted. “Do you have a secret handle? Couldn’t we say especially given that it’s D-Day to dismiss a soldier’s experience like that seems pretty disrespectful … this must be answered!”
He also asked “Who can go on a mission,” noting that “We just need a random to make the point and make her feel bad.” The duo assembled what they called a “secret army” to both troll critics and post pro-HBO opinions on trade stories, which all stems from a wrongful termination lawsuit filed staffer Sully Temori that initially brought the sneaky campaign to light.
Based on the revelations, it’s hard to see how Bloys is going to talk his way out of this one.
