According to this article, "HBO purists were concerned that the brand would be tarnished by being linked to cheesy Discovery reality fare, such as “Dr. Pimple Popper” and “My 600-lb Life,” that appeared on the streamer after the 2022 merger between AT&T’s Warner Media and Discovery Communications. As recently as March, senior Warner executives were still standing by the Max name. JB Perrette, the head of global streaming for Warner Bros. Discovery, told The Wall Street Journal at the time that putting the HBO name alongside Max “would completely undermine what it had spent 50 years building.”"
Like HBO didn't have the trashiest show ever: CATHOUSE, a reality show based in a brothel owned by a now-dead maga guy. And they were concerned about being associated with a fat person? Get the fuck out of here.