Mark Ruffalo has fired back at Paramount after the studio described his criticism of its proposed merger as “antisemitic.”
In a lengthy post on social media, the Oscar-nominated actor called Paramount’s response “appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” insisting his objections were aimed at military contracts and corporate decision-making, not Jewish people.
Ruffalo has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the planned Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, a deal that has now drawn him into an unusually public clash with the media giant.
Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison, the co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle. The software company has provided technological support to Israel during its assault on Gaza.
The actor, who wore an “ICE Out” pin at the 2026 Golden Globes in January, previously used the words “genocide” and “apartheid” in a social media letter attacking the financial forces behind the $111 billion corporate deal.
Paramount quickly pushed back. A company spokesperson accused Ruffalo’s language of echoing antisemitic tropes and said that applying terms such as “genocide” and “apartheid” to a corporate merger was a “bridge too far,” according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
On Saturday, Ruffalo rejected that characterization. “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” he wrote. “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.”
Mark Ruffalo has fired back after Paramount called his recent criticism of the merger “antisemitic.” Above, the actor attends the AFI Awards in Los Angeles on January 9
The Oscar-winning actor has been a loud opponent of the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, and his criticism has sparked a public feud with Paramount – whose CEO is David Ellison. Above, Ellison speaks during the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles in 2025
In an extended social media post, Ruffalo called the company’s remarks ‘appalling and fundamentally dishonest’
‘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.
‘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,’ Ruffalo added.
On Friday, the Dark Waters star blasted Paramount in a post on Instagram Stories, in which he accused billionaires Ellison, 43, and his father Larry, 82, of ‘powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.’
Ruffalo shared a years-old video of Israeli-American business executive Safra Catz, the former Oracle CEO who is now its executive vice chair of the board of directors.
‘This is the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition,’ Ruffalo wrote to his 20.5 million followers.
In Saturday’s lengthy follow-up, Ruffalo railed: ‘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 $111 billion 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.
The actor used the terms ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’ in a previous social media letter criticizing the funding behind Paramount’s proposed $111 billion business merger. Above, Ruffalo attends a political event in New York City in 2025
Ellison’s company said that it was ‘a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,’ as it dressed down Ruffalo’s remarks
‘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,’ he concluded.
In his previous post, Ruffalo also called Larry Ellison a ‘classic oligarch’ who would own most of what he disparagingly coined ‘Para Bros.’
‘They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance,’ Ruffalo wrote.
Ruffalo noted that 12 Attorneys General were suing to stop the Paramount-Warner Bros merger.
‘It will be catastrophic for our film industry,’ Ruffalo wrote. ‘Merger [sic] like this are almost always bad for workers, consumers, and the industry they tend to dominate.’
The effort to stop the merger is being led by California, whose film industry has struggled in recent times.
Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros could cost Los Angeles County approximately 4,500 film and television jobs, according to a report published by LA County on Tuesday.
The video of Ms Catz speaking that Ruffalo shared was from the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024, per The Hollywood Reporter.
The Paramount chairman and CEO is the son of billionaire technology mogul, Larry Ellison, who is co-founder and executive chairman of major software company Oracle. Above, the Ellisons attend the LA premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013
‘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,’ Ruffalo said in his Saturday rebuttal. Above, Ruffalo attends London’s Crime 101 gala film screening on January 28
Ruffalo wrote in his Instagram story: ‘Look how she revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.’
In the clip, Catz talked about advancing ‘the agenda for the Israeli military’ and mentioned ‘really profoundly scary technology at Oracle.’
‘We wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort,’ she said, referring to the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Paramount’s spokesperson turned the argument on Ruffalo: ‘This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.’
The media conglomerate emphasized that it was ‘a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,’ insisting that it would ‘rather build than further engage in such rhetoric.’
Paramount said that Ruffalo’s remarks ‘simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction,’ referring to its proposed $110 billion merger with Warner Bros.
The company said it was committed ‘to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone.’
‘We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias,’ Paramount continued.
Paramount’s statement finished by asking for ‘less rhetoric, more understanding.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Ruffalo’s representatives and Paramount for further comment.
