‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Star Mark Ruffalo Responds to Antisemitism Claims Over Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

Corporate mergers rarely spark this much public drama, but the battle over Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has escalated into a significant Hollywood feud. What initially started as industry concerns regarding job losses and editorial independence has transformed into a complex debate about language, intent, and accusations of antisemitism.

Mark Ruffalo has been at the forefront of this controversy for weeks, utilizing his platform to argue that the merger would centralize too much power in too few hands. However, his latest comments have extended beyond business issues, prompting a strong response from Paramount.

The situation intensified after Ruffalo shared a video on his Instagram story featuring former Oracle chief Safra Catz, who currently serves as the company’s executive vice chair and is on the board of Paramount Skydance. In the clip, Catz can be heard discussing “profoundly scary technologies” that Oracle developed for Israel’s military efforts, remarks she originally made at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024.

Ruffalo accompanied the resurfaced clip with his own pointed commentary, labeling the war in Gaza as a genocide rooted in an apartheid system of oppression fueled by Oracle. He further connected Larry Ellison’s company to the impending media deal, warning that the technology “will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you.”

This framing quickly drew backlash from Paramount and pro-Israel advocacy groups, who accused Ruffalo of invoking antisemitic tropes by linking Jewish-associated wealth and corporate power in his criticism. A spokesperson for Paramount expressed concern whenever such tropes are used in the context of a business dispute.

Instead of retracting his statements, Ruffalo took to social media to directly refute the antisemitism label. “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 stated, arguing that legitimate criticism was being misrepresented as hostility toward an entire religious group.

He elaborated on how his understanding of activism and humanism has been profoundly influenced by Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones throughout his life, countering any notion that his views stem from prejudice rather than principle. Ruffalo also highlighted the ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by a coalition of attorneys general, which Paramount has indicated is the only significant obstacle remaining for the completion of the deal.

The connection to Larry Ellison has emerged as one of the more volatile aspects of this entire saga. Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle decades ago, while his son, David Ellison, currently serves as CEO of Paramount, establishing a direct financial and operational link between the tech company and the studio at the center of the merger dispute.

Oracle’s influence has grown significantly beyond its traditional software roots in recent years, evolving into a major player in artificial intelligence and even holding a stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations. This expanding reach, combined with its documented ties to Israeli military technology efforts, has made the company a frequent target for critics of the ongoing war in Gaza, including supporters of the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

For Ruffalo, connecting that corporate history to a $111 billion media deal that would place control of CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. in the hands of a single family was central to his argument, regardless of how it has been received. Whether this argument withstands further scrutiny or leads to more accusations will likely depend on the perspectives of those already entrenched in this increasingly public and personal dispute.

With the merger battle still unresolved and tensions clearly running high on both sides, this chapter of Hollywood’s ongoing power struggle shows no signs of cooling down anytime soon.

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