170 Jewish creatives rally behind Mark Ruffalo as Paramount Antisemitism row escalates

Actor Mark Ruffalo finds himself caught in the middle of a Hollywood storm surrounding Paramount Skydance's $111 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Initially, the dispute was over media consolidation, but it has now expanded into a debate about free speech, geopolitical ethics, and industry influence. In response to the merger, Ruffalo criticized the deal in an Instagram Story post, sharing a video of Safra Catz discussing military technology supplied to Israel after the 7 October 2023 Hamas terror attacks.

Ruffalo accused Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his son, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, of promoting "destructive and inhuman forces" and called them a "classic oligarch". The reaction from industry players was swift and strong, with Paramount condemning the post for invoking antisemitic tropes and The Brigade, a coalition of high-profile producers, accusing Ruffalo of spreading harmful narratives.

Unfazed, Ruffalo defended himself on X, calling the accusations "appalling and fundamentally dishonest". His supporters rallied behind him, with over 170 prominent Jewish figures signing an open letter titled "Enough!" arguing that criticizing corporate ties to military action is a reflection of Jewish moral responsibility, and not intolerance.

The letter was published by Variety, listing all the signatories, including filmmakers Joel Coen, Hannah Einbinder, and authors Naomi Klein and Bella Freud. This incident is the latest in Ruffalo's campaign against the merger, which he has been pursuing with attorney Norm Eisen and the Writers Guild of America on antitrust grounds.