Avengers star Mark Ruffalo has responded to the suggestion he had invoked “antisemitic tropes” in his ongoing criticism of Paramount’s $111 billion Warner Bros. buyout.
Responding to the claim, made in a lengthy and unusual statement by Paramount itself, Ruffalo dubbed the accusation as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.”
The issue stems from Ruffalo’s continued pressure on Paramount over its controversial takeover of Warner Bros., a transaction that Ruffalo and numerous other Hollywood stars have said will likely result in consolidation, cost-cutting and job losses, plus particular concern surrounding the independence of Warner Bros.’ news organization CNN. Paramount is owned by David Ellison, and the buyout’s finances will be backed his father Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of technology firm Oracle and the world’s sixth-richest person.
In an Instagram story last week, Ruffalo commented on a video featuring Oracle vice chair Safra Catz, who discussed Oracle’s public backing of the Israeli military in the wake of October 7 terrorist attacks, and the subsequent deployment of what she described as Oracle’s “really profoundly scary technology” to the Israeli army.
“These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you,” Ruffalo wrote in response. “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.
“We have a chance to stop this,” the actor continued. “There are 12 state Attorneys General suing to block this merger. It will be catastrophic for our film industry. Mergers like this one are almost always bad for workers, consumers and the industry they tend to dominate. It’s a classic antitrust case. It will hike up the cost of cable and flatten out competition. This means less choice for our audiences. It also concentrates an enormous amount of creative control to companies that say and do things like this strange woman from Oracle.”
In a response statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter, a Paramount spokesperson took the unusual step of directly quoting and discussing Ruffalo’s Instagram story, branding his message as containing “antisemitic tropes” and suggesting that such statements expose “the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction.” Paramount’s response lies below in full:
“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” the Paramount spokesperson stated. “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.
“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. We’re asking for the same good faith we’re extending: less rhetoric, more understanding. Paramount’s future is being written for everyone who wants to make and watch great stories.”
It’s this statement from Paramount that Ruffalo has now responded again to condemn, in a post on X/Twitter which seeks to separate his criticism of Oracle and its links with the Israeli military from the suggestion that such criticism cannot exist without being antisemitic. Ruffalo’s response lies below in full:
“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. 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.
“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.
“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.”
Last month, Paramount’s buyout of Warner Bros. was postponed until the conclusion of an antitrust trial, which could keep the deal from closing until the legal process is concluded, or June 2027 at the latest. Ruffalo, meanwhile, was most recently seen in portraying his veteran Marvel character Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has now passed $2.22 million at the box office.
Image credit: Simon Ackerman/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
