Kenneth Lonergan Defends Mark Ruffalo Over Gaza Post to 20.6 Million Followers
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Aug 31
Kenneth Lonergan Defends Mark Ruffalo Over Gaza Post to 20.6 Million Followers
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Aug 31
Summary
Kenneth Lonergan backed Mark Ruffalo in a letter to The Hollywood Reporter, calling antisemitism accusations against the actor a deflection from the substance of his Gaza-related criticism.
Aug. 21 sparked the clash: Ruffalo told his 20.6 million Instagram followers that the Ellison family and Oracle were tied to Israel’s war effort in Gaza, describing the conflict as genocide built on apartheid.
Paramount, whose CEO is David Ellison, answered the same day that Ruffalo was invoking antisemitic tropes and said applying terms like genocide and apartheid to a corporate transaction was "a bridge too far."
Hollywood figures have since split, with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Creative Community for Peace and The Brigade condemning Ruffalo, while Hannah Einbinder and Jane Fonda defended him.
The dispute has widened beyond speech over Gaza because Ruffalo has also been a prominent opponent of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, including Senate testimony and an open letter signed by hundreds of actors.