Paramount calls out "antisemitic tropes" in actor Mark Ruffalo's merger critique

Paramount has forcefully rejected sharp criticism from actor Mark Ruffalo, who publicly accused company executives David and Larry Ellison of "powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world."

The response follows an Instagram post by Ruffalo featuring a video clip from 2023 showing Paramount board member Safra Catz discussing "really profoundly scary technologies" utilised by Oracle to support the Israeli military in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, which resulted in 1,195 deaths and 251 abductions.

In his post, Ruffalo labelled Larry Ellison a "classic Oligarch" and warned against the proposed acquisition and merger of Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery led by Ellison's son, David Ellison. Referencing the video, Ruffalo urged followers to "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."

A spokesperson for the David Ellison-led enterprise pushed back against the actor's statements, condemning the vocabulary used in relation to corporate transactions.

"Troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. 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," the spokesperson stated.

Ruffalo was among the first prominent Hollywood figures to publicly oppose the prospective merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount. Several entertainment industry sources have expressed concern regarding Ruffalo conflating the corporate deal with anti-Israel sentiments.

Addressing the broader tone of the debate, Paramount emphasised a desire to de-escalate tensions surrounding the transaction.

Paramount said Ruffalo’s post "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."

By Tamilla Hasanova