Actor George Clooney has defended Mark Ruffalo after Paramount Skydance accused the Avengers star of using antisemitic tropes while opposing a corporate merger.
The 65-year-old Oscar winner spoke out during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival ahead of receiving the event's highest honor, a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
Paramount criticized the 58-year-old Ruffalo after he spoke out against the studio's proposed $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery, pointing to military contracts involving Paramount CEO David Ellison's family.
Addressing Paramount's comments at the press conference, Clooney rejected the studio's attack on Ruffalo and advocated for open debate.
"I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely," Clooney said. "I think that that’s ridiculous. We’re not going to ban speech."
"I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it," Clooney added. "That’s important, right? In fact, it’s part of how a democracy works. There are going to be people tonight in the room that are going to disagree with most everything I say or stand for. Fair enough. That’s how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to argue these things out and come to a conclusion based on the information that we take in."
Speaking on a personal level about Ruffalo, Clooney reiterated his support for his fellow actor.
"I will always support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely," Clooney said. "I like him. He’s a good man."
The Nespresso global ambassador also weighed in on the proposed entertainment merger itself, calling it a "complicated thing" and predicting it would not go through or benefit figures like Ellison.
"I don’t know how this goes through," Clooney said. "There are so many issues involved. It doesn’t matter how much money you have; it’s going to be very tricky to do. So, my opinion on the merger is: I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it usually means a lot of people lose their jobs. That’s the truth."
Open letter from Jewish figures
Clooney's comments follow an open letter published on Tuesday in support of Ruffalo, signed by more than 170 Jewish artists, writers, creative professionals, faith leaders, and thinkers in the entertainment industry.
The effort was led by Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder, who previously spoke out in support of Ruffalo on social media.
Other prominent figures who signed the open letter include directors Joel Coen, Todd Haynes, Emma Seligman, and Jane Schoenbrun, along with actors Ilana Glazer and Wallace Shawn, and writers James Schamus and Tony Kushner.
The open letter pushed back against what signatories called "false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism" against those raising concerns over media consolidation and foreign policy.
"Pointing out the crucial connections between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Hollywood is the exact opposite of antisemitism," the letter read. "It is, for us, the very essence of Jewish ethical duty."
Broad City actress Ilana Glazer issued a statement alongside her signature condemning the studio's attacks on Ruffalo.
"Calling Mark Ruffalo antisemitic because he is questioning a massive corporate merger is not only absurd: it’s a dangerous way to shut down legitimate criticism," Glazer said.
"Mark has consistently spoken out against antisemitism while also standing up for Palestinian rights and dignity for all people," Glazer added. "It’s an American’s right to debate media consolidation and the dangers of monopolized corporate power without weaponizing antisemitism to bully people into silence."
Full text of the industry statement
The open letter opened with a declaration: "We are Jewish artists, writers, creative professionals, faith leaders and thinkers who have, in response to the outrageous smear campaign against our respected colleague Mark Ruffalo, a simple message to share with the world: Enough! Enough with the false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism against those who are brave enough to point out the obvious: that the assault on the Palestinian people and the assault on our liberties at home are deeply interconnected, and there is nothing antisemitic about recognizing that fact."
Addressing the corporate deal, the letter argued that the proposed combination of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery is "no mere combination of two huge multinational companies."
"Yes, it will destroy thousands upon thousands of livelihoods," the signatories wrote. "Yes, it will further consolidate the oligarchic control of our media (witness the gutting of CBS News). Yes, it will strangle competition and creativity in film and television production and distribution."
The letter linked the transaction to a "larger project of tech-driven domination" championed by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his partners. The document noted that Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of Larry Ellison, whose software giant Oracle has provided technological assistance to Israel.
Signatories cited the Trump-brokered takeover of TikTok, which they said was openly proclaimed as an effort to boost pro-Israel propaganda, and referenced Larry Ellison's reported $350 million in funding and pledges to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Blair has assumed an influential role in the Trump-concocted "Board of Peace" takeover of Gaza, which the letter called an "open-air laboratory for AI-driven killing and control technologies."
The letter referenced former Oracle CEO and current board member Safra Catz celebrating such technologies, and quoted Larry Ellison's past remarks on surveillance: "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we’re constantly recording and reporting."
Citing a recent Washington Post poll, the letter noted that 61 percent of American Jews agree Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, while four in ten agree those crimes amount to genocide. The signatories questioned whether critics consider all those American Jews to be antisemitic as well.
"The virulence and falseness of the slanders they direct towards their critics is evidence of the increasing weakness of their position, based as it is on innuendos," the statement concluded, declaring that the playbook of trotting out charges of antisemitism to defend war, oligarchy, and AI domination has run its course.
Hannah Einbinder condemns studio jabs
Einbinder, who is Jewish and based in Los Angeles, detailed her backing of Ruffalo in a series of posts on Instagram Stories following Paramount's initial criticism.
"I am so grateful that Mark Ruffalo drew a connection between the Ellisons providing military technology to Israel during a genocide and their unprecedented media takeover," Einbinder wrote.
She called Ruffalo's comments a necessary critique of "RIGHT WING technofeudalist oligarchs who are in the process of carrying out the largest media acquisition in history," arguing that "the idea that he only said these things because the Ellisons are Jewish is LUDICROUS."
"Is it also antisemitic to point out that Safra Catz, the Oracle executive vice chair who boasted about the 'profoundly scary technology' provided to the IDF, also sits on Paramount’s board?" Einbinder asked. "Or that Larry Ellison has been buying favor with Trump by donating tens of millions to his political efforts for years? Or that he once offered Netanyahu a lucrative Oracle post?"
Einbinder warned that misuse of the term undermines genuine protections: "Every time Zionists equate criticism of Israel, its genocide, or anyone who supports it to antisemitism, they rob the word of all of its meaning. For those of us who ACTUALLY care about Jewish safety, we want that word to mean something so that when Jews are actually in danger it’s taken seriously."
She also highlighted the potential fallout for entertainment industry workers, stating that opposing the merger is about "fighting for the working class of Hollywood: the crews and other workers that we artists claim to care so much about, who could lose thousands of jobs if it goes through."
"Visibility is a responsibility," Einbinder concluded. "Those of us with a platform need to use our voices before speaking out is outlawed altogether."
Mark Ruffalo addresses antisemitism claims
The dispute began after Ruffalo, who wore an "ICE Out" pin at the 2026 Golden Globes in January, issued a social media letter criticizing the funding behind Paramount's proposed $111 billion buyout of Warner Bros Discovery, using the terms "genocide" and "apartheid."
According to CNN's Brian Stelter, a Paramount spokesman condemned Ruffalo's rhetoric as invoking antisemitic tropes, saying that applying terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" to a business deal was a "bridge too far."
Ruffalo responded in a detailed statement on Saturday, calling Paramount's accusations "appalling and fundamentally dishonest."
"The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest," Ruffalo wrote. "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," Ruffalo continued. "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. Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life."
In an earlier Instagram Stories post on Friday, Ruffalo shared a video of Safra Catz speaking at the 2024 Israeli-American Council National Summit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the video, Catz discussed advancing "the agenda for the Israeli military" and offering "really profoundly scary technology at Oracle" following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel. Ruffalo told his 20.5 million followers: "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."
Ruffalo described 82-year-old Larry Ellison as a "classic oligarch" who, along with his 43-year-old son David, would control what he called "Para Bros," alleging they are "crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance."
He noted that 12 State Attorneys General are suing to block the merger, with California leading the push amid concerns over job losses. A report published by Los Angeles County estimated the consolidation could eliminate approximately 4,500 film and television jobs in LA County.
"Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary," Ruffalo wrote on Saturday, noting that the deal would give one family control over CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros, backed in part by foreign capital. He urged regulators to pause the deal until national security reviews are complete.
Paramount calls for lowered rhetoric
Paramount responded to Ruffalo's posts by insisting it did not wish to engage in a back-and-forth dispute.
"This doesn't deserve a response in kind: and to be clear, we don't tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone," a Paramount spokesman said.
The studio added that it was "a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it," stating that Ruffalo's comments "simply expose the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction."
Paramount stated it remains committed "to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone," expressing hope that the $111 billion transaction will be evaluated based on legal merits rather than underlying bias, concluding with a request for "less rhetoric, more understanding."
