Mark Ruffalo has denied Paramount's accusation that he is antisemitic, calling the claim appalling and fundamentally dishonest, after the actor criticized the Ellison family's business ties amid Paramount's proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ruffalo, one of the most vocal Hollywood critics of Donald Trump and of the violence in Gaza, has also joined artists opposing the Warner Bros. Discovery sale, arguing it would harm the film industry and cost jobs.
On Saturday, as news broke about the negotiations, Ruffalo posted on social media that the merger had real consequences for real people and for the whole country, writing about the company run by David Ellison. He said it was fair and necessary to scrutinize the Ellisons, including Oracle's data-driven business, surveillance technology and government contracts, as well as what he called a serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of livelihood for thousands of families.
Ellison family's ties to Trump
Larry Ellison, the Oracle co-founder, is known to be close to Donald Trump. Earlier this year, while Netflix was also competing for Warner Bros. Discovery, U.S. media reported that David Ellison had met privately with the president, with CNN reporting that he had returned to the White House the previous week for the meeting.
Ruffalo also said the $111 billion deal would give a single family control of CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign capital whose influence over editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.
Paramount responded by saying Ruffalo's conduct was concerning. A studio spokesperson told Variety that invoking antisemitic stereotypes to settle a business dispute was unacceptable, and that terms like genocide and apartheid, applied to a corporate transaction, were not only wrong but went too far and trivialized real suffering the words are meant to describe. The spokesperson said this did not merit a similar response and stressed that the studio does not tolerate any form of prejudice against anyone.
Ruffalo, who starred in Spotlight, said the accusation that he is antisemitic was appalling and fundamentally dishonest. He said 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, and that this critical, necessary dialogue was being dishonestly framed as anti-Israel. He said his views come from his own political convictions and should never be read as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom he said he feels deep love and respect, adding that everything he knows about acting, activism and humanism has been shaped by Jewish friends, colleagues and loved ones who have been central to his life.
Other Hollywood figures oppose the merger
Robert De Niro, Jane Fonda, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Javier Bardem and Joaquin Phoenix are among the actors who have spoken out against the Warner Bros. Discovery sale. In total, more than 4,000 artists have voiced opposition directly. Ruffalo's criticism of the Ellison family is not new, and he has argued the transaction is tied to political power.
Earlier in August, Ruffalo wrote that no one except those about to profit enormously from the merger, and who have damaged the U.S. economy before, such as Jamie Dimon, supports the deal. He said that without the Ellisons' close relationship with Trump and a partisan Justice Department, the merger would have been blocked long ago. Following his more recent comments, two Jewish rights advocacy groups criticized Ruffalo, saying he invokes Israel in a matter where it is completely irrelevant.
Paramount meets the California attorney general
Paramount is set to meet with the state attorney general to discuss resolving an antitrust case, according to U.S. media. Variety reported that Paramount has been pushing hard to secure a deal allowing its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is currently on hold pending a March trial in a federal court in Oakland.
The negotiation also faces opposition including a lawsuit from the Writers Guild of America. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that, as currently structured, the proposed merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount would mean higher costs, less competition, lower wages, job cuts and fewer films and television shows. Bonta said the merger violates longstanding federal antitrust law and that his office is committed to enforcing it.
