Mark Ruffalo links Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to Oracle’s technology work with Israel

Actor Mark Ruffalo, known for his role in the Avengers films, sparked controversy in Hollywood on Friday night after sharply criticizing the Ellison family and the planned merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. by linking the deal to Oracle’s activities in Israel and the war in Gaza.

Paramount, in a rare response, accused Ruffalo's criticism of using “antisemitic imagery.”

In an Instagram post, Ruffalo shared a video of Safra Catz, vice chair of Oracle, discussing the technological assistance the company provided to Israel following the Hamas-led October 7 attack.

Ruffalo described Oracle as a company that “Larry Ellison uses to fund the purchase of Warner Brothers by his son David.” He then claimed that its technologies “will probably be merged into one of the largest media corporations in the world, and one day be used against you.”

Referring to Catz, Ruffalo added: “Look at how she revels in what we now understand as genocide, built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”

Paramount says Ruffalo's comments 'cross the line'

A Paramount spokesperson told TheWrap that the company is “always troubled when alleged antisemitic imagery is used in the service of a business dispute.”

“Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ when applied to a corporate transaction, are not only wrong; they cross the line and cheapen the real suffering those words were intended to describe," a spokesperson said.

“We do not tolerate prejudice of any kind, against any person.” Paramount urged those involved to “lower the temperature, not raise it,” and claimed Ruffalo’s remarks “expose the true motive of some of those who have acted against the deal.”

The studio also stressed that it would not blacklist creators who oppose the merger.

“Our commitment to excellent content matches our commitment to acceptance, for every story, every storyteller, with no blacklists and no exceptions," the spokesperson stated.

Mark Ruffalo hits out at Larry Ellison, calls him 'a classic oligarch'

Ruffalo has opposed the merger for months, arguing that it would harm thousands of Hollywood workers.

He wrote once that he believed that “Larry Ellison is a classic oligarch.”

“They crush workers and concentrate global wealth for the sake of power and control," he added.

The actor cited a report indicating that the merger could result in the loss of approximately 4,500 direct jobs in Los Angeles’s film and television industry, along with thousands of additional jobs.

“Mergers like these are almost always bad for workers, consumers, and the industry they take over," Ruffalo said.

The latest dispute follows years of anti-Israel statements by Ruffalo. During a September 2025 interview on journalist Mehdi Hasan’s podcast, he called for the “boycott, divestment, sanctions, and prosecution” of Israel and spoke extensively about the war in Gaza.

A clip from the interview resurfaced in July, in which Ruffalo discussed his relationships with Jewish actors who support Israel. According to TMZ, he said the war had brought him to a point where he could no longer remain friends with some of them because of their support for Israel.