In a shocking revelation that has sent ripples through the entertainment industry, text messages obtained for a lawsuit brought by a former HBO employee have exposed a scheme orchestrated by HBO's chief executive, Casey Bloys, to target critics from various US outlets. The messages, which are being prepared as evidence in the lawsuit, detail discussions between Bloys and Kathleen McCaffrey, HBO's senior vice president of drama programming, about using fake Twitter accounts to respond to negative reviews of HBO shows.

The lawsuit, filed by former employee Sully Temori, alleges wrongful termination and claims that Temori was asked to set up a fake Twitter account to defend HBO shows and respond to critics. Temori, who was an executive assistant at the time, created an account under the name Kelly Shepard, a fictional vegan mom from Texas. He also admitted to leaving anonymous comments on Deadline, an entertainment website.

According to Rolling Stone, which reviewed and verified the text messages through their metadata, Bloys and McCaffrey discussed targeting specific critics and outlets in their scheme. McCaffrey reportedly texted in April 2021, "Casey is looking for a tweeter...he's mad at Alan Sepinwall. Can our secret operative please tweet at Alan's review: 'Alan is always predictably safe and scared in his opinions.' And then we have to delete this chain right? Omg I just got scared lol." The messages also reveal that Bloys wanted someone to respond to tweets from Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk, Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall, and The New York Times' James Poniewozik and Mike Hale.

The text messages, provided by Temori and reviewed by Rolling Stone, have raised serious questions about the ethics and practices within HBO. During an event in New York to promote HBO and Max's upcoming programs, which was attended by some of the critics mentioned in the texts, Bloys issued an apology. He admitted to coming up with the "dumb idea" to create fake Twitter accounts and responded to negative reviews, emphasizing his passion for HBO shows. He also acknowledged that six tweets were posted over a year and a half in response to TV critics. "But I do apologize to the people who were mentioned in the leaked emails, texts," he added.

The wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Temori alleges that he faced harassment, retaliation, and discrimination after disclosing a mental health diagnosis to his superiors. The lawsuit now centers around Temori's claim that he was wrongfully terminated in addition to being asked to participate in the scheme of creating fake Twitter accounts.

As the fallout from these revelations continues, industry insiders and critics are left wondering about the implications for HBO's integrity and the credibility of its programming. The lawsuit, supported by the text messages as evidence, serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics within the entertainment industry and the lengths some executives may go to protect their reputation.