Paramount Skydance accused actor Mark Ruffalo of antisemitism after he drew connections between Oracle, the tech company owned by David Ellison’s father Larry Ellison, and the Israeli military in relation to the studio’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Larry Ellison provided significant funding for Skydance’s 2025 merger with Paramount Global and is involved in financing the subsequent merger with WBD.
Ruffalo responded to the accusation by issuing a statement on social media, characterizing Paramount’s claim as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.” He argued that criticizing Israeli military technology contracts, government officials, and business executives who supply such technology does not constitute antisemitism. His post garnered substantial engagement, accumulating 30 million views and over 861,000 likes.
Emmy-winning actress Hannah Einbinder emerged as a prominent Hollywood figure defending Ruffalo on Monday. Through an Instagram message, Einbinder emphasized that Ruffalo’s criticism targeted right-wing technology oligarchs engaged in what she characterized as a significant media consolidation, not Jewish people. She disputed the notion that Ruffalo’s comments stemmed from bias against the Ellison family’s religion, noting that multiple executives with connections to Oracle and Paramount could be subjects of similar scrutiny based on their business dealings.
Einbinder expanded the discussion to encompass labor concerns within the entertainment industry, noting that opposition to the merger also relates to potential job losses for Hollywood workers including crew members. The Jewish human rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center had previously stated that Ruffalo’s comments constituted “demonization,” but Einbinder contested this characterization, arguing that distinguishing between legitimate criticism of policy and prejudice remains essential for maintaining the meaning and relevance of antisemitism as a concept.
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