Mark Ruffalo has hit back after Paramount accused him of using antisemitic rhetoric in his criticism of the company’s proposed merger.
In a lengthy social media statement, the Oscar-nominated actor described Paramount’s comments as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.” He insisted that his objections concern military contracts, corporate leadership and the deal’s wider implications—not Jewish people.
Ruffalo has emerged as one of the most outspoken opponents of Paramount’s planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, triggering an increasingly public dispute with the entertainment giant.
Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of billionaire technology executive Larry Ellison, co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle. The software company has provided technological support to Israel amid its military campaign in Gaza.
Ruffalo, who wore an “ICE Out” pin at the 2026 Golden Globes in January, previously used the terms “genocide” and “apartheid” while challenging the funding and corporate interests behind the proposed $111 billion transaction.
According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, a Paramount spokesperson quickly condemned the language, saying it invoked antisemitic tropes. The representative also called Ruffalo’s use of words such as “genocide” and “apartheid” to describe a corporate merger “a bridge too far.”
On Saturday, Ruffalo responded forcefully, writing: “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. 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 responded after Paramount described his criticism of the merger as antisemitic. The actor is pictured at the AFI Awards in Los Angeles on January 9
The Oscar-winning actor has strongly opposed Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, setting off a public clash with Paramount CEO David Ellison, pictured speaking at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles in 2025
In a detailed social media statement, Ruffalo called Paramount’s response “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 had criticized Paramount in an Instagram Stories post, accusing Larry Ellison, 82, and his son David, 43, of “powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.”
Ruffalo included an older video featuring Safra Catz, the Israeli-American business executive and former Oracle CEO who now serves as the company’s executive vice chair of the board.
“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 his follow-up post on Saturday, Ruffalo argued that the proposed merger would have consequences far beyond the companies involved.
“This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country,” he wrote.
“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.”
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Ruffalo previously described the funding behind Paramount’s proposed $111 billion merger using the terms “genocide” and “apartheid.” He is pictured at a political event in New York City in 2025
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Paramount said the dispute should be an opportunity to “lower the temperature,” rather than intensify the confrontation
“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 earlier post, Ruffalo labeled Larry Ellison a “classic oligarch” and used the dismissive nickname “Para Bros” for the proposed combined company.
“They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance,” Ruffalo wrote.
He also pointed out that 12 attorneys general were suing in an effort to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
“It will be catastrophic for our film industry,” Ruffalo wrote. “Mergers like this are almost always bad for workers, consumers, and the industry they tend to dominate.”
California is leading the legal challenge, as the state’s film and television sector continues to face significant difficulties.
A report released by Los Angeles County on Tuesday estimated that a Paramount-Warner Bros. merger could eliminate roughly 4,500 film and television jobs in the county.
The video of Catz shared by Ruffalo was recorded at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Paramount chairman and CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison. The father and son are pictured at the Los Angeles premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013
Ruffalo said that criticizing Israeli leadership, military technology contracts or the executives involved was not the same as attacking Jewish people. He is pictured at London’s Crime 101 gala screening on January 28
“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,” Ruffalo wrote in his Instagram Story.
In the footage, Catz discussed supporting “the agenda for the Israeli military” and referred to what she called “really profoundly scary technology at Oracle.”
“We wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort,” she said, referring to the period following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Paramount’s spokesperson responded by criticizing Ruffalo’s comments while rejecting prejudice of any kind.
“This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone,” the spokesperson said.
The company said the situation was “a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,” adding that it would “rather build than further engage in such rhetoric.”
Paramount argued that Ruffalo’s comments “simply expose the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction,” referring to the proposed $110 billion deal with Warner Bros.
The conglomerate also reaffirmed its commitment “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 added.
The statement ended with an appeal for “less rhetoric, more understanding.”
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Ruffalo and Paramount for additional comment.
