Mark Ruffalo Fires Back At Paramount’s Accusations Of Antisemitism

Mark Ruffalo clapped back at Paramount on Saturday, after a rep for the company branded his criticism of the alleged role that Larry Ellison’s Oracle played in the Israel-Gaza war “antisemitic”.

“The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” the four-time Oscar nominee wrote on X Saturday morning.

“Criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticising Jewish people.”

Ruffalo’s post continued: “This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect.

“Everything I know about acting, activism and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life.”

Days earlier, Ruffalo had shared a clip to his Instagram account of former Oracle chief Safra Catz calling some of the company’s technology “profoundly scary” at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024. Catz was specifically referencing Oracle’s tech in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Ruffalo also called the conflict a “genocide” that “was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle”.

Paramount is owned by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s son, David Ellison.

In a lengthy retort to Ruffalo’s post, Paramount called for the temperature of the debate surrounding Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. to be lowered, and dubbed the actor’s remarks as “antisemitic”.

“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” a representative from Paramount stated.

The spokesperson continued: “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. This doesn’t deserve a response in kind – and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.”

Ruffalo has been a staunch opponent of Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros., which is currently stalled due to a lawsuit brought by 12 state attorneys general, led by California.