Mark Ruffalo Rejects Antisemitism Claim Over $111 Billion Ellison Media Deal Criticism
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 22
Mark Ruffalo Rejects Antisemitism Claim Over $111 Billion Ellison Media Deal Criticism
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 22
Summary
Ruffalo on Saturday called Paramount's antisemitism accusation "appalling and fundamentally dishonest," saying his criticism targeted Oracle, Israeli military technology and the Ellison-backed Warner Bros. Discovery merger—not Jewish people.
The clash followed Ruffalo's repost of Paramount board member Safra Catz praising Oracle technologies used to assist Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, which he linked to David Ellison's planned acquisition.
Paramount said Ruffalo invoked antisemitic tropes and argued his use of terms such as "genocide" and "apartheid" to describe a corporate transaction crossed a line and trivialized real suffering.
Ruffalo broadened his attack to the merger itself, warning the deal would concentrate control of CNN, HBO and Warner Bros. in one family, threaten editorial freedom and endanger thousands of jobs.
The $111 billion transaction is already being challenged by 12 state attorneys general, and the companies have agreed not to close before June 1, 2027 or a court ruling.