Paramount has accused actor Mark Ruffalo of invoking antisemitic tropes while criticizing the proposed merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Skydance, a deal involving the Ellison family.
Ruffalo took to Instagram to voice his opposition to the merger, referencing remarks by Safra Catz, a Paramount board member and CEO of Oracle. Catz had spoken about Oracle's technology assisting the Israeli military following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Ruffalo stated that Oracle's technologies, which he described as "really profoundly scary," could be integrated into a major media conglomerate and potentially used against the public. He further asserted that the merger, funded by Oracle founder Larry Ellison, would be built on a system of apartheid and would resemble a genocide.
"This is the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David's Warner Bros acquisition," Ruffalo wrote. "These 'really profoundly scary technologies' will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you. Look how she revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle."
A spokesperson for Paramount stated, "We are troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe." The company added that it "does not tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone."
Ruffalo also characterized Ellison as a "classic Oligarch" and argued that the merger would consolidate wealth and influence among a small elite. He claimed the transaction would negatively impact workers and the film industry, citing an ongoing lawsuit by 12 state attorneys general aiming to block the deal. Ruffalo alleged that the merger could lead to the elimination of 4,500 filmmaking jobs and an additional 10,000 related positions, arguing that such consolidations typically harm workers, consumers, and the industries affected.
Representatives for Ruffalo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding Paramount's statement. Paramount also did not immediately provide additional comment.