Mark Ruffalo Denies Antisemitism Charges Following Criticism of Paramount and Oracle

Actor Mark Ruffalo has called accusations of antisemitism "appalling and fundamentally dishonest" after a public dispute with Paramount regarding the company's potential merger with Warner Bros. The conflict began when Ruffalo posted on Instagram about the links between Paramount Skydance, led by CEO David Ellison, and Oracle, the technology company run by Ellison's father, Larry Ellison. Ruffalo alleged that Larry Ellison used Oracle to finance the acquisition for his son and highlighted Oracle's provision of software to the Israeli government and military. Ruffalo shared a video of Oracle Executive Vice President Safra Catz discussing the company's support for the Israeli army, claiming that Oracle's "terrifying" technologies could eventually be integrated into a massive media conglomerate and used against the public. He further described the situation as a genocide built on an apartheid system of oppression.

Paramount responded by accusing Ruffalo of using "antisemitic tropes" and stereotypes to oppose a business transaction. The company stated that applying terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" to a corporate merger is erroneous and trivializes actual suffering. In his defense on X, Ruffalo argued that criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, military technology contracts, or the executives who provide them is not the same as criticizing the Jewish people. Both reports note that Ruffalo has a history of human rights activism, including signing a pledge in September 2025 to avoid working with Israeli institutions involved in Gaza.