Mark Ruffalo is pushing back on allegations that he invoked antisemitic tropes amid a war of words with Paramount.
The "Avengers" actor, 58, said in an X post on Aug. 22 that "the accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest."
Ruffalo was responding to a statement issued by Paramount, which called out comments he previously made slamming the Ellison family and Paramount Skydance's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
"We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute," Paramount said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
"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 statement reads. "This doesn't deserve a response in kind − and to be clear, we don't tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone."
The statement came after Ruffalo took to Instagram on Aug. 21 to criticize Paramount Skydance's deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, which is on hold amid challenges from state attorneys general. The acquisition is scheduled to be at the center of an antitrust trial beginning March 2, 2027.
According to Deadline, Ruffalo, a vocal critic of the merger, shared a resurfaced clip from 2024 where Oracle executive vice chair Safra Catz discussed steps the company took to "advance the agenda for the Israeli military" in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Oracle and Ruffalo for comment.
In the clip, Catz, who sits on the Paramount Skydance board, said Oracle stands with "the military establishment of Israel," adding that "we have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle, and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort." Oracle was cofounded by Larry Ellison, the billionaire father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.
What did Mark Ruffalo say?
In his since-expired Instagram Story, Ruffalo alleged, "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," he added, also alleging "one of the biggest tech companies in the world" was "powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world."
Ruffalo also argued that the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery would be "catastrophic" for the film industry and would concentrate an "enormous amount of creative control" in the hands of "companies that say and do things like this strange woman from Oracle."
In his most recent statement, shared Aug. 22, Ruffalo denied accusations of antisemitism, maintaining that "criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people."
"This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel," he said. "To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect."
In its previous statement, Paramount called for a "moment to lower the temperature, not raise it," adding, "We'd rather build than further engage in such rhetoric. This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction."
Jim Berk, CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, criticized Ruffalo for his comments and backed Paramount in a statement shared with USA TODAY on Aug. 22.
"Words matter, and so does the willingness to draw a line when legitimate debate gives way to antisemitic tropes," Berk said. "We commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism. At a time when antisemitism is too often minimized, rationalized or repackaged in more socially acceptable language, this kind of moral clarity matters."
Berk added, "Invoking Israel in an issue where it is completely irrelevant is a textbook case of obsession and demonization. Paramount was right to call it out. More leaders and institutions should have the courage to call antisemitism what it is, regardless of who is spreading it."
Taking to X on Aug. 23, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called Ruffalo's comments "cynical and sickening" and accused the actor of engaging in "antisemitic rhetoric."
He wrote, "Introducing the Jewish state out of the blue when it's entirely unrelated, making baseless claims about Israel, and then trying to avoid accountability by essentially claiming that 'some of my best friends are Jewish' is gaslighting 101."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mark Ruffalo calls Paramount's suggestion he's antisemitic 'appalling'
