Mark Ruffalo has hit out at Paramount after the film studio accused him of antisemitism, branding the accusation “appalling and fundamentally dishonest”.
Earlier this week, Ruffalo criticised the links between Oracle – the multinational tech company owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison – and the Israeli military.
Paramount are currently in the process of a controversial merger with rival studio Warner Bros, in a deal worth $111bn (£81bn). The acquisition has faced significant criticism from within the US film industry, thanks in part to David Ellison’s political ties with US president Donald Trump.
Ruffalo shared a clip on social media of a video taken in 2024, in which former Oracle chief Safra Catz discusses the company’s activities in relation to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Catz is heard making reference to “profoundly scary technologies” that Oracle had designed. Ruffalo described the Israeli military’s actions as a “genocide” that “was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”
open image in gallery“From one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world. Why has Trump pushed this illegal merger through?” he wrote.
On Friday (21 August), Paramount issued a statement in which they accused Ruffalo of invoking “antisemitic tropes”.
“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” a representative for the company told Variety. “Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe. This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.
“This brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it. We’d rather build than further engage in such rhetoric. This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction. On the other hand, our commitment to great content is matched by our commitment to acceptance – to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone.”
A day later, Ruffalo issued a statement of his own, disputing Paramount’s allegation.
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“The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” the Avengers actor wrote on X/Twitter. “Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people.
“This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect.”
Ruffalo went on to argue that his criticism of the Ellisons – and the business practices of Oracle – was “fair and necessary”, and reaffirmed his support for the Jewish community.
open image in galleryHe said: “Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life. This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country.
“Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The $111bn deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros, backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.
He concluded:“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for serious national security review, and regulators still haven’t given the public a real answer. Until they do, the merger shouldn’t move forward. Now is the time to dive boldly into all these issues, not step back or concede.”
The Paramount-Warner Bros merger is currently on pause until June 2027, while a judge considers legal challenges against the deal. Twelve US states and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are currently suing in a bid to stop the deal, arguing that it would harm competition and impact consumers and the creative industry.