By JENNIFER PEARSON AND WILKO MARTINEZ-CACHERO, U.S. REPORTER
Published: 23:35 BST, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 23:39 BST, 22 August 2026
Mark Ruffalo has come back swinging after Paramount called his recent merger attack 'antisemitic.'
In an extended social media post, the Oscar-winning actor called the company's remarks 'appalling and fundamentally dishonest,' stating that his faultfinding had to do with military contracts and executive actions, not Jewish people.
Ruffalo has been a loud opponent of the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, and his criticism has sparked a public feud with Paramount.
Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of billionaire technology mogul, Larry Ellison, co-founder and executive chairman of major software company Oracle, which has provided technological assistance to Israel amid its assault on Gaza.
The actor, who wore an 'ICE Out' at the 2026 Golden Globes in January, used the terms 'genocide' and 'apartheid' in a previous social media letter criticizing the funding behind the $111 billion business transaction.
A Paramount spokesman swiftly condemned Ruffalo's rhetoric as invoking antisemitic tropes, further stating that applying words like 'genocide' and 'apartheid' to a corporate business deal was a 'bridge too far,' according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
On Saturday, Ruffalo slammed that statement, writing: '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.
Mark Ruffalo has come back swinging after Paramount called his recent merger attack 'antisemitic.' Above, the actor attends the AFI Awards in Los Angeles on January 9
The Oscar-winning actor has been a loud opponent of the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, and his criticism has sparked a public feud with Paramount – whose CEO is David Ellison. Above, Ellison speaks during the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles in 2025
In an extended social media post, Ruffalo called the company's remarks 'appalling and fundamentally dishonest'
'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,' Ruffalo added.
On Friday, the Dark Waters star blasted Paramount in a post on Instagram Stories, in which he accused billionaires Ellison, 43, and his father Larry, 82, of 'powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.'
