Actor Mark Ruffalo reportedly sought assistance from Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in crafting an apology for recent social media posts that were criticized as antisemitic. The posts in question, which targeted Larry Ellison and appeared to conflate the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger with antisemitic tropes, drew condemnation from various Jewish organizations, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the ADL.
Sources indicate that Norm Eisen, co-founder of States United Democracy Center, was working with Ruffalo over the past week to find a way to express contrition for offending Jewish communities while maintaining his opposition to the merger and Israel's military actions in Gaza. Eisen, who has a past working relationship with Greenblatt from the Obama administration, allegedly asked the ADL CEO to help Ruffalo.
However, Greenblatt reportedly declined to assist, with one source stating he was "not interested in laundering Mark Ruffalo‘s reputation." Another source suggested Greenblatt "couldn’t help" the actor. Following this alleged rebuff, Eisen pivoted to organizing an open letter defending Ruffalo, which was published in Variety on Tuesday.
The letter garnered support from 180 individuals identified as "Jewish artists, writers, creative professionals, faith leaders and thinkers." Notable signatories from the creative industry included Joel Coen, Todd Haynes, James Schamus, Tony Kushner, and Hannah Einbinder. Einbinder had previously defended Ruffalo on social media.
Ruffalo's posts led to accusations of antisemitism from entities such as Paramount and the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP). The CCFP went as far as calling for the actor to be de-platformed.
Despite the controversy, some individuals who oppose the proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount stated that Ruffalo's comments would not affect their stance on the merger. An open letter defending Ruffalo was signed by individuals from academic and non-Hollywood backgrounds, alongside industry figures.
Representatives for Eisen and Ruffalo declined to comment on the matter. An ADL representative stated that Greenblatt was traveling internationally and was unavailable for comment.