A woman who had an appendectomy returned home to recover, only to find that someone had added themselves to her HBO Max account without her consent. Was this “ghost” profile a prank? Or was someone named Vishnu really using her account to catch up on Game of Thrones?
In a viral TikTok, Emma (@shmemersonlouise) shares how she logged into her HBO Max streaming platform on her TV as usual. However, this time she noticed a new profile for someone named Vishnu.
“I’m just curious,” Emma says, “who the [expletive] is Vishnu?” She zooms into the profile picture of a middle-aged man who some viewers say resembles an actor from White Lotus season 2.
And the jokes roll in
Emma’s clip earned over 780,000 views as of Tuesday, with folks flooding the comments section with punny one-liners.
“I vish I nu,” a comment with 31,000 likes read. Another joked, “Vishnu your password.”
Others pointed out how the mysterious watcher was considerate enough to create their own profile so as not to mess up Emma’s watchlist.
“Girl, at least they were kind enough to start their own profile and not ruin your algorithm,” one said. A second user echoed, “At least he made a separate profile so he didn’t mess with your ‘currently watching.’”
What should you do if you find a random profile on your HBO Max account?
It is unclear whether Emma’s account was hacked due to a data breach, whether someone knew her password and is playing a prank, or if she was signed into somewhere she forgot to sign out of (say, at an Airbnb or friend’s house).
However, HBO has a guide on how to deal with any unwanted use of your account. On its website, the streaming platform suggests you change your password immediately. To do so, you can follow these steps:
- Sign in to HBO Max on your phone, tablet, or computer. Can’t sign in?
- Choose your profile and then Account.
- Choose the Edit icon pencil next to Password.
- Enter your current password.
- If you don’t know your password, you can reset your password instead.
- Enter a new password and choose Save.
Emma may not have given out her password willingly, if her disbelief is anything to go by, but for those who depend on password sharing to watch their favorite shows, it may be harder to keep going as more streaming platforms crack down on the practice.
@shmemersonlouise excuse me #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #fy #funny #funnytiktok ♬ original sound – Emma
Can you share your HBO Max password with friends?
For now. Everyone knows at least someone who watches shows on someone else’s account (or maybe you’re the one who is giving out your Netflix password like candy). However, an article by Lifehacker published last week reported how HBO Max will send “gentle messages” to users who watch on other people’s accounts. This is reportedly to encourage them to get their own subscriptions.
The crackdown is expected to be enforced throughout this year and into 2026.
The article reported how, on an HBO company earnings call, the CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games for Warner Bros. Discovery, JB Perrette, warned that the messaging would get “aggressive.”
So if you were trying to catch up with House of the Dragon before the new season drops, you might want to get a move on before you’re kicked out.
The Mary Sue reached out to Emma via Instagram direct message and to Warner Bros. Discovery via email.
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