Paramount Condemns Mark Ruffalo for Antisemitism Over Merger Criticism

Paramount issued an unprecedented public rebuke of actor Mark Ruffalo on the night between Friday and Saturday, accusing him of antisemitism for his comments opposing the $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. In a statement, the company expressed concern over Ruffalo's use of terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" to describe the corporate deal, calling such language not only inaccurate but also disrespectful to the real suffering those words represent. Paramount emphasized its intolerance for any form of prejudice.

Ruffalo's criticism, shared on Instagram with his 20.5 million followers, targeted Larry Ellison, founder of tech giant Oracle, which financially supports his son David Ellison, Paramount's CEO. Ruffalo posted a video from the Israeli-American Council conference featuring Oracle's former CEO Safra Catz discussing the company's technology in relation to Israel's military efforts in Gaza, describing it as "very scary technology." He accused the Gaza conflict of being a "genocide" built on an "apartheid system" supported by Oracle, and condemned wealthy elites for exploiting workers and accumulating global wealth for personal power.

Paramount responded by stating that Ruffalo's remarks reveal the true motives of some merger opponents and insisted the merger should be evaluated solely on legal grounds, not personal biases. Oracle, based in Texas, has become a key player in artificial intelligence and holds a stake in TikTok's U.S. operations. The company has faced criticism from the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts of businesses linked to Israel.

This controversy unfolds amid broader tensions involving Israel, including recent changes to Eurovision hosting rules related to countries in military conflict and public figures commenting on the situation.