Jane Fonda Slams Paramount For Calling Mark Ruffalo’s Comments ‘Antisemitic’: ‘A Smear to Delegitimize Criticism of the Merger’

Jane Fonda has expressed her support for Mark Ruffalo after Paramount labeled him "antisemitic" for criticizing the Ellison family's ties to Israel and the planned merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. In a statement, Fonda accused Paramount of using false accusations of antisemitism as a smear tactic to delegitimize Ruffalo's criticism of the merger.

Fonda argued that Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations, and the proposed $111 billion merger. She questioned whether one company should be allowed to accumulate so much power over movies, television, and news. According to Variety, Fonda found it "deeply troubling" to see false accusations of antisemitism used in this way.

TheWrap reported that Fonda and her 1A Committee formally defended Ruffalo in a memo, rejecting Paramount's attempt to label him "antisemitic" as a cynical tactic to distract from legitimate concerns over the Ellisons' business ties in the Middle East.

Brief written by urgent.news from Variety, TheWrap — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.