Mark Ruffalo and Paramount are locked in an increasingly heated war of words over the company’s proposed $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The media giant accused the “Avengers” actor of invoking “antisemitic tropes” after he connected the corporate transaction to Oracle technology used to assist the Israeli military. Ruffalo quickly rejected the allegation as “appalling” and insisted his criticism was aimed at political leaders and corporate executives, not Jewish people.
5Paramount issued a lengthy statement after Ruffalo posted a video featuring Safra Catz discussing technology Oracle reportedly made available to the Israeli military. “We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” the company said in a statement shared by CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Paramount specifically objected to Ruffalo’s use of the words “genocide” and “apartheid” while criticizing the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. The company said the language was inappropriate when applied to a corporate transaction and argued that it diminished the suffering those terms are normally used to describe.
Paramount said “this brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,” adding that it would “rather build than further engage in such rhetoric.” “This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction,” its statement continued.
The company also reiterated its commitment to producing content from a broad range of voices and said it hoped the merger would be evaluated on its legal merits. “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,” the statement concluded.
Actor Warns About Oracle’s ‘Profoundly Scary’ Technology
5The controversy began when Ruffalo shared an older video of Catz discussing technology Oracle had offered in support of Israel’s military efforts. “There’s a few things that we did that I really can’t talk about to advance the agenda for the Israeli military. But we have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort,” Catz said in the clip, according to Variety.
Ruffalo linked the comments to Oracle founder Larry Ellison and his son, Paramount CEO David Ellison. “This is the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition,” Ruffalo wrote in the now-expired Instagram Stories post.
The actor warned that the technology could eventually become connected to one of the world’s largest media companies. “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,” he claimed. “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.”
The “Poor Things” star then criticized the concentration of wealth and power surrounding the proposed media deal. “Larry Ellison will own most of ‘Para Bros.’ Larry is a classic Oligarch. They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance,” he wrote.
Mark Ruffalo Denies Antisemitism Accusation
5Ruffalo strongly rejected Paramount’s interpretation of his posts and said his criticism was never intended as an attack on Jewish people. “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,” he told the New York Post.
The actor also pointed to his personal and professional relationships within the Jewish community. “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 a 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 continued.
He maintained that the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger “has real consequences for real people.” Ruffalo also claimed the deal represents a “serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families.”
Paramount’s $110 Billion Merger Faces An Antitrust Fight
5Ruffalo’s public battle with Paramount comes as the merger remains tied up in federal court. California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington have joined a legal effort challenging the acquisition.
The states argue that combining Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery would violate the Clayton Antitrust Act by reducing competition in the media and entertainment industries. Paramount disputes those allegations and maintains that the merger would allow the combined business to compete more effectively against companies such as Netflix and Disney.
According to Paramount’s SEC filing, the companies have agreed not to close the transaction or integrate their operations until five days after a decision in the litigation or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first. A 12-day trial is scheduled to begin in March 2027.
Paramount Seeks A $1.88 Billion Bond
5Paramount has asked a federal judge to require the 12 states challenging the deal to post a $1.88 billion bond to cover some of the company’s potential losses if the litigation delays the merger.The company must begin paying Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approximately $7 million per day if the transaction does not close by September 30, according to Reuters.
Paramount estimates that those “ticking fees” could reach $1.3 billion by the time the trial concludes and final legal briefs are submitted. The request does not mean the states have been ordered to pay the money. A federal judge must still decide whether the proposed bond is appropriate.
With the merger’s future unresolved, Ruffalo’s criticism has brought a new public-relations battle into an already contentious legal fight. Paramount wants the dispute decided on antitrust grounds, while Ruffalo argues the deal also raises larger concerns about employment, corporate power and editorial independence.
