Actor John Cusack has publicly supported Mark Ruffalo after Ruffalo's recent online criticism of Paramount CEO David Ellison and a proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery drew accusations of antisemitism.
Ruffalo, 58, initially posted on Instagram Stories, criticizing billionaires David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle. Ruffalo claimed the Ellisons were using Oracle's technological assistance to Israel amid its actions in Gaza to fund the Warner Bros. acquisition. He used terms such as 'genocide' and 'apartheid' in his critique of the potential merger and the Ellisons' business practices, which he argued have real-world consequences and pose a threat to editorial freedom.
Paramount responded to Ruffalo's statements, with a spokesperson calling his comments 'antisemitic tropes' and asserting that applying terms like 'genocide' and 'apartheid' to a corporate business deal was excessive.
Ruffalo subsequently issued a second statement, calling Paramount's accusation 'appalling and fundamentally dishonest.' He clarified that his criticism was directed at military contracts, executive actions, and the consolidation of wealth and power, not at Jewish people. Ruffalo emphasized his deep love and respect for Jewish people, stating that his political convictions should not be misinterpreted as hostility.
In a show of solidarity, Cusack, 60, retweeted Ruffalo's defense on X, formerly Twitter, writing that Ruffalo's response was 'well said.'
Ruffalo's initial criticism also highlighted concerns about the merger's impact on the film industry, noting that 12 Attorneys General were attempting to block the deal. He argued that such mergers are typically detrimental to workers, consumers, and the industry itself, potentially costing the Los Angeles County area approximately 4,500 film and television jobs, according to a report by LA County.