{"id":2107825,"date":"2026-08-23T09:55:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T06:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2107825"},"modified":"2026-08-23T09:55:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T06:55:03","slug":"mark-ruffalo-hits-back-after-paramount-said-his-merger-criticism-was-anti-semitic-appalling-and-fundamentally-dishonest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2107825","title":{"rendered":"Mark Ruffalo hits back after Paramount said his merger criticism was \u201canti-Semitic\u201d: \u201cAppalling and fundamentally dishonest\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mark-Ruffalo.-CREDIT_-Dave-Benett_WireImage.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><i class=\"tdb-bread-sep td-icon-right\"><\/i><span>Film News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Mark Ruffalo hits back after Paramount said his merger criticism was \u201canti-Semitic\u201d: \u201cAppalling and fundamentally dishonest\u201d<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>&#8220;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&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Laura Molloy<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-23T10:55:03+01:00\">23rd August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- .\/block --><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure>\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mark-Ruffalo.-CREDIT_-Dave-Benett_WireImage-696x442.jpg\" alt title><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Mark Ruffalo. CREDIT: Dave Benett\/WireImage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Mark Ruffalo has hit back after his criticism of the impending\u00a0Paramount\u00a0and\u00a0Warner Bros. merger was called anti-Semitic by Paramount.<\/p>\n<p>The $110billion (\u00a383billion) deal would see Paramount Skydance acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing together major film, TV, news and streaming assets including Warner Bros.,\u00a0HBO\u00a0and HBO Max, CNN, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Channel 5, Paramount+, the\u00a0DC Universe,\u00a0<i>Harry Potter<\/i>,\u00a0<i>Game Of Thrones<\/i><i>\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0<i>The Lord Of The Rings<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ruffalo is among the strong critics of the merger and has previously accused Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his father, co-founder and CTO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison, of \u201cpowering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actor recently shared a clip of a Paramount board member, Safra Catz, to his Instagram story, outlining \u201creally profoundly scary technologies\u201d that Oracle used to help the Israeli military after the October 7 terror attack. Ruffalo likened Larry Ellison to a \u201cclassic oligarch\u201d and said that moguls \u201care crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country,\u201d Ruffalo added. \u201cScrutinising the Ellisons, including Oracle\u2019s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The $111billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nobody but the folks who are set to profit heavily off this merger and who have tanked our economy in the past like Jamie Dimon are for this thing. If it wasn\u2019t for the cozy relationship the Ellison\u2019s have with Trump and a partisan and compromised DOJ this would have been stopped\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/AthrdlDEiv<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 12, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>After Ruffalo\u2019s initial post, a spokesperson for Paramount gave a statement to <em>Variety<\/em>, in which he said that the company is \u201ctroubled when anti-Semitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It continued: \u201cWords like \u2018genocide\u2019 and \u2018apartheid,\u2019 applied to a corporate transaction, aren\u2019t just wrong \u2014 they\u2019re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe. This doesn\u2019t deserve a response in kind \u2014 and to be clear, we don\u2019t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruffalo then took to X to respond, writing: \u201cThe accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,\u201d Ruffalo wrote on X Saturday morning. \u201cCriticizing 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. 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. This critical and necessary dialogue\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 22, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-2\" class=\"lazy-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In June, the US Justice Department gave the green light to the merger, despite a huge industry backlash.<\/p>\n<p>It came after months of negotiations over the future of Warner Bros, with Netflix\u00a0at one point being perceived as the frontrunner. However, in February,\u00a0the streaming company backed out of the bidding, leaving the way clear for Paramount Skydance to\u00a0acquire\u00a0the major studio.<\/p>\n<p>In April, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved the $111billion (\u00a382billion) takeover, with Paramount Skydance backed by the tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David. The decision had been widely anticipated, with\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0known to be close with the Ellison family, praising Larry in May, calling him a \u201ctremendous man\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed merger has also been met with criticism from across Hollywood, however,\u00a0with more than 1,000 industry professionals signing an open letter opposing the deal.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery have agreed to pause the merger until June 2027 while a judge weighs an ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 attorneys general.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Mark Ruffalo<\/li>\n<li>Paramount<\/li>\n<li>Warner Bros.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div 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data-img-retina-url=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/live-zara-larsson-800x508.jpg\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress perform \u2018Stateside\u2019 together for first time at All Points East<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-image-container\">\n<div class=\"td-module-thumb\"><span class=\"entry-thumb td-thumb-css\" data-type=\"css_image\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cod-mw4-beta-secret-camo-litmus-400x254.jpg\" data-img-retina-url=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cod-mw4-beta-secret-camo-litmus-800x508.jpg\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Gaming Guides<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">How to unlock the \u2018CoD MW4\u2019 beta secret camo \u2018Litmus\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>                    <span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span>                <\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Mark Ruffalo has hit back after his criticism of the impending\u00a0Paramount\u00a0and\u00a0Warner Bros. merger was called anti-Semitic by Paramount.<\/p>\n<p>The $110billion (\u00a383billion) deal would see Paramount Skydance acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing together major film, TV, news and streaming assets including Warner Bros.,\u00a0HBO\u00a0and HBO Max, CNN, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Channel 5, Paramount+, the\u00a0DC Universe,\u00a0<i>Harry Potter<\/i>,\u00a0<i>Game Of Thrones<\/i><i>\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0<i>The Lord Of The Rings<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ruffalo is among the strong critics of the merger and has previously accused Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his father, co-founder and CTO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison, of \u201cpowering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actor recently shared a clip of a Paramount board member, Safra Catz, to his Instagram story, outlining \u201creally profoundly scary technologies\u201d that Oracle used to help the Israeli military after the October 7 terror attack. Ruffalo likened Larry Ellison to a \u201cclassic oligarch\u201d and said that moguls \u201care crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country,\u201d Ruffalo added. \u201cScrutinising the Ellisons, including Oracle\u2019s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The $111billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nobody but the folks who are set to profit heavily off this merger and who have tanked our economy in the past like Jamie Dimon are for this thing. If it wasn\u2019t for the cozy relationship the Ellison\u2019s have with Trump and a partisan and compromised DOJ this would have been stopped\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/AthrdlDEiv<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 12, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>After Ruffalo\u2019s initial post, a spokesperson for Paramount gave a statement to <em>Variety<\/em>, in which he said that the company is \u201ctroubled when anti-Semitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It continued: \u201cWords like \u2018genocide\u2019 and \u2018apartheid,\u2019 applied to a corporate transaction, aren\u2019t just wrong \u2014 they\u2019re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe. This doesn\u2019t deserve a response in kind \u2014 and to be clear, we don\u2019t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruffalo then took to X to respond, writing: \u201cThe accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,\u201d Ruffalo wrote on X Saturday morning. \u201cCriticizing 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. 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. This critical and necessary dialogue\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 22, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-article-2\" class=\"lazy-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In June, the US Justice Department gave the green light to the merger, despite a huge industry backlash.<\/p>\n<p>It came after months of negotiations over the future of Warner Bros, with Netflix\u00a0at one point being perceived as the frontrunner. However, in February,\u00a0the streaming company backed out of the bidding, leaving the way clear for Paramount Skydance to\u00a0acquire\u00a0the major studio.<\/p>\n<p>In April, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved the $111billion (\u00a382billion) takeover, with Paramount Skydance backed by the tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David. The decision had been widely anticipated, with\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0known to be close with the Ellison family, praising Larry in May, calling him a \u201ctremendous man\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed merger has also been met with criticism from across Hollywood, however,\u00a0with more than 1,000 industry professionals signing an open letter opposing the deal.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery have agreed to pause the merger until June 2027 while a judge weighs an ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 attorneys general.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/film\/mark-ruffalo-hits-back-after-paramount-said-his-merger-criticism-was-anti-semitic-appalling-and-fundamentally-dishonest-3964199&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mark-Ruffalo.-CREDIT_-Dave-Benett_WireImage.jpg&#8221;] NewsFilm News Mark Ruffalo hits back after Paramount said his merger criticism was \u201canti-Semitic\u201d: \u201cAppalling and fundamentally dishonest\u201d &#8220;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&#8221; By Laura Molloy 23rd August 2026 Mark Ruffalo. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2107825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2107825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2107825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2107825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2107825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2107825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2107825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}