By Alex Smith | Monday, 24 August 2026 12:45 PM EDT
Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo has criticized Paramount Skydance after the studio accused him of using “antisemitic tropes” in his efforts to block its proposed $111 billion merger with Warner Bros.
Ruffalo centered his objections on the funding of the acquisition, highlighting that Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is financing the multibillion-dollar bid led by his son, Paramount CEO David Ellison. He shared video footage of Oracle Executive Vice Chair Safra Catz describing advanced technological support provided to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.
Ruffalo cited Oracle’s decades-long history of providing software to Israeli police, defense officials, and the military. He voiced concern that those technological tools would fall under the control of a massive media conglomerate.
He also urged the public to oppose the merger, warning it would devastate industry employment and stifle competition.
Paramount Skydance issued a statement criticizing Ruffalo’s characterization of the transaction. “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,” Paramount said.
The Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center endorsed Paramount’s response, commending the company for “refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism.”
In response, Ruffalo rejected the allegations, stating his criticism focused on corporate accountability rather than religious identity. “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” he wrote.
“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,” Ruffalo continued. “This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel.”
Ruffalo disputed assertions of anti-Jewish sentiment, saying his activism is rooted in personal beliefs and informed by longstanding relationships with Jewish colleagues and loved ones. He maintained that public oversight of major corporate transactions is essential.
“This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country,” Ruffalo added.
The actor said that scrutinizing the Ellisons is “fair and necessary,” citing concerns about Oracle’s history with data, surveillance, and government contracts. He warned that the transaction presents a “serious threat to editorial freedom,” along with massive job losses.
“The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros.,” Ruffalo said, adding that the bid is backed in part by foreign money whose influence has “never been fully explained to the public.”
The proposed deal would consolidate assets like HBO Max, CNN, CBS, and Paramount+, creating a media giant out of two legacy Hollywood studios.
Although federal antitrust regulators cleared the deal in June, it remains stalled by a lawsuit brought by 12 states. Paramount Skydance could face daily delay penalties of roughly $7 million payable to WBD shareholders if the transaction is not finalized by Sept. 30.
Paramount said it will make no further comment.
