More than 170 Jewish artists, academics, and cultural figures have publicly supported actor Mark Ruffalo amid accusations that his criticism of a major corporate merger contained antisemitic undertones. The open letter, signed by notable names such as Todd Haynes, Wallace Shawn, Joel Coen, Miranda July, Hannah Einbinder, and Naomi Klein, describes the allegations against Ruffalo as part of an "outrageous smear campaign" and calls for an end to what it terms the "false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism."

Ruffalo had come under scrutiny after he publicly condemned the planned $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), spotlighting the role of Larry Ellison, Oracle’s founder and billionaire businessman, in backing the deal. Ruffalo noted Ellison’s firm’s long-standing provision of software to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and government, linking this to his criticism of David Ellison, Larry’s son and owner of Paramount Skydance. In a social media post last week, Ruffalo referenced a video of Safra Catz, Oracle’s executive vice-chair, discussing the company’s advanced technology supplied to Israel following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which he described as “really profoundly scary technology.”

The actor argued that Ellison was using Oracle’s technology contracts, including those with the Israeli military, to support the corporate merger, which would unite two of Hollywood’s largest studios along with numerous networks and media operations. Ruffalo contended that the merger would negatively impact the entertainment industry by consolidating media ownership and potentially integrating surveillance or military technologies into corporate practices. He urged opposition to the merger, describing it as “catastrophic.”

Paramount Skydance responded by expressing concern over what it called the invocation of antisemitic tropes “in purported service of a business dispute.” In turn, Ruffalo rejected the accusation, emphasizing that criticizing the Israeli prime minister, military technology contracts, or affiliated executives is not tantamount to criticism of Jewish people. He added that necessary public discourse on these matters is often misleadingly framed as anti-Israel sentiment.

The letter endorsing Ruffalo’s position highlights the broader implications of the merger beyond the entertainment sphere, citing Ellison’s influence on technological and political fronts. It points to Oracle’s involvement in the Trump-era proposed sale of TikTok to U.S. investors, including Oracle; Ellison’s substantial funding of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; and Oracle executives’ public support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they describe as a testing ground for AI-driven military and surveillance technologies.

Signatories include Jewish creative professionals, faith leaders, and prominent scholars of the Holocaust and genocide, all of whom defend Ruffalo’s critique as a legitimate commentary on corporate power and its intersections with politics and human rights, rather than an expression of antisemitism. They further warn that conflating corporate criticism with antisemitism threatens open dialogue and undermines efforts to hold powerful interests accountable.