Paramount Calls Mark Ruffalo's Merger Criticism Antisemitic. The Actor Says the Charge Is Dishonest.

The actor's rebuttal, posted on X on August 22, 2026, answers a Paramount statement calling his remarks about Oracle and the Israel-Gaza war antisemitic. The $111 billion Warner Bros. deal faces an antitrust suit brought by 12 attorneys general.

Mark Ruffalo rejected Paramount's claim that his opposition to the studio's $111 billion deal for Warner Bros. is antisemitic. He called the accusation appalling and fundamentally dishonest in a post on X on Saturday, August 22, 2026, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Neither side's statement, as published by the outlet, says what the exchange means for the deal's one remaining legal obstacle.

The argument is being conducted in the language of prejudice. What it is actually about is who ends up owning Warner Bros., and the people in this city whose work depends on that answer.

What Ruffalo posted first

Ruffalo, an opponent of the merger, had shared a 2024 clip of former Oracle chief executive Safra Catz. In it, Catz described technologies the company had built as profoundly frightening, The Hollywood Reporter reported. She was speaking about Oracle's technology in relation to the Israel-Gaza war, the outlet reported.

Ruffalo went on to call that war a "genocide." He said it rested on an "apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle," per the outlet.

In his Instagram story, Ruffalo wrote that those technologies would most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world, per the outlet. He said moguls are crushing workers and consolidating wealth for their own dominance. Larry Ellison is the father of David Ellison, who leads Paramount.

What Paramount said

A Paramount representative replied at length. The statement called for the temperature of the debate to be lowered and described Ruffalo's remarks as antisemitic.

"We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute."

Words like genocide and apartheid, applied to a corporate transaction, are a bridge too far and cheapen real suffering, the company said in the statement the outlet published. Paramount said it does not tolerate prejudice of any kind. It said it expects the merger to be judged on the legal merits rather than underlying bias.

What Ruffalo said back

In Saturday's post, Ruffalo drew a line between criticism of the Israeli government and hostility toward Jewish people.

"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 wrote that his views come from his own political convictions and should never be read as hostility toward Jewish people, per the outlet. His work in acting and activism was shaped by Jewish friends and colleagues, he wrote.

He also argued that scrutiny of the Ellisons is fair, citing Oracle's business in data, surveillance technology and government contracts. The deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money, he wrote. Lawmakers in both parties have called for a national security review, Ruffalo wrote, and regulators have not given the public a real answer. Until they do, he wrote, the merger should not move forward.

Where the deal stands

Global regulators have all cleared the merger, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Paramount said last week that an antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 attorneys general is the only thing stopping the deal from closing.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have expressed support for settlement talks, the outlet reported. Newsom said on Friday, August 21, 2026, that those talks were happening in real time. The outlet's account reports no settlement. It reports no response from Ruffalo to Paramount's second statement beyond the X post.

Source: hollywoodreporter.com, retrieved August 23, 2026.