Actor Mark Ruffalo has responded strongly after Paramount criticised remarks he made about the proposed $110.9 billion acquisition of Warner Bros, describing the company's characterisation of his comments as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest”. Ruffalo had questioned the proposed deal while discussing Oracle's business interests and its reported links to technology and government contracts connected to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

In a post on X, Ruffalo rejected the allegation that his criticism was directed at Jewish people. He argued that criticising the actions of Israeli political leaders, military technology contracts or executives involved in supplying such technology should not be equated with hostility towards Jews. Ruffalo also emphasised his longstanding personal connections with Jewish friends, colleagues and associates, saying they had significantly influenced his views on acting, activism and humanism.

Ruffalo has been openly critical of Paramount Skydance's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. He has raised concerns about the potential impact of the transaction on workers, media ownership and editorial independence. He also questioned Oracle's reported involvement in financing the deal and argued that scrutiny of the companies and executives connected to the transaction was justified because of its potential implications for the media industry.

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His comments intensified after he shared a 2024 clip involving former Oracle chief executive Safra Catz and referred to technology discussed in the footage in the context of the Israel-Gaza war. Ruffalo used terms including “genocide” and “apartheid” while criticising what he described as Oracle's role in technology connected to the conflict. He subsequently linked those concerns to the proposed media merger and called for greater examination of its financial, regulatory and national security implications.

Paramount responded by accusing Ruffalo of invoking antisemitic tropes in what it described as a business dispute. A company representative, quoted by Variety, argued that terms such as “genocide” and “apartheid” were inappropriate when applied to a corporate transaction and could diminish the significance of the suffering associated with those terms. Paramount also stated that it does not tolerate prejudice and maintained that the proposed merger should ultimately be evaluated on its legal merits.

Ruffalo has continued to argue that the proposed transaction deserves detailed public scrutiny before moving forward. He has questioned the concentration of ownership that could result from the deal and raised concerns about foreign financial influence, editorial independence and potential job losses. The dispute comes as the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros transaction faces continued attention from regulators, lawmakers, employees and public figures.

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