A Hollywood A-lister who called Jewish executives part of “destructive and inhuman forces” now says he’s the real victim after his own studio called him out for antisemitism.
Story Snapshot
- Paramount accused actor Mark Ruffalo of using “antisemitic tropes” after he attacked the Ellison family over the Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
- Ruffalo posted a video of Jewish Paramount Skydance board member Safra Catz, claiming it showed her “revelling” in a “genocide.”
- The Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center quickly sided with Paramount.
- Ruffalo fired back, calling the accusation “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.”
- The feud broke out right before mediation talks in Paramount’s antitrust fight over the merger.
Ruffalo’s Merger Attack Sparks Backlash
Mark Ruffalo posted a Friday screed accusing David and Larry Ellison of “powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.” The Ellisons run Paramount Skydance, which is trying to close a huge deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Ruffalo has been one of the loudest celebrity critics of that merger for months.
Paramount did not stay quiet. The company shot back that it is “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute.” A spokesperson added a sharp line: “Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong – they’re a bridge too far.”
Paramount and Jewish Groups Push Back
The fight started when Ruffalo reposted a year-old video clip on Instagram showing Safra Catz, a Jewish Paramount Skydance board member and former Oracle chief, discussing technology her company built. Ruffalo told his 20 million Instagram followers the clip showed Catz “revelling” in a “genocide” powered by Oracle’s tech. Paramount said that framing crossed a clear line.
Leaders from major Jewish organizations did not hesitate to back Paramount up. The Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center both defended the studio’s response, according to reporting on the dispute. Paramount’s spokesperson said the company would not “tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone,” while insisting Ruffalo’s comments did not deserve a serious rebuttal.
The timing matters. This blowup landed right before mediation talks in an antitrust lawsuit tied to the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal. A celebrity activist accusing a Jewish-led company of enabling “genocide” days before high-stakes legal talks is not a small distraction — it’s a headline-grabbing accusation that could shape public opinion of the merger itself.
Ruffalo Doubles Down, Blames Trump for Media Control
Ruffalo refused to back down. Writing on X Saturday morning, he called the antisemitism accusation “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.” He argued that “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.”
Mark Ruffalo is pushing back against "appalling" antisemitism allegations after Paramount accused the actor of invoking "antisemitic tropes." https://t.co/wljkUU3r3z
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 24, 2026
Ruffalo’s defenders didn’t just stop at denying antisemitism. One sympathetic outlet covering his response took the moment to accuse President Trump of “working to co-opt news sources and control what the public sees and hears,” comparing him to “every authoritarian before him.” That line reveals the real political temperature behind this celebrity spat — a familiar Hollywood habit of turning a corporate dispute into an anti-Trump talking point.
This isn’t the first time criticism of Israel-linked companies or executives has spiraled into accusations of antisemitism, and it likely won’t be the last. Watchdogs and legal experts have tracked similar fights at universities, tech firms, and media companies for years. What’s different here is the audience: millions of Ruffalo’s followers now see a celebrity casually using words like “genocide” against a Jewish executive, then crying foul when he’s called out for it.
Sources:
foxnews.com, latimes.com, variety.com
