In a show of Hollywood solidarity, actor John Cusack has backed Mark Ruffalo amid the latter’s heated exchange with Paramount. The dispute arose when Ruffalo accused the tech giant Oracle of utilizing “antisemitic tropes,” a claim Paramount pushed back against vigorously.
Cusack expressed his support on X, lauding Ruffalo’s articulated defense. “Solidarity — well said,” Cusack commented, highlighting Ruffalo’s focus on Oracle’s connections with the Israeli military and the company’s leadership entanglements.
The controversy ignited after Ruffalo criticized Oracle’s executive vice-chair, Safra Catz, who also serves on Paramount’s board. Ruffalo reposted a video featuring Catz discussing Oracle’s technologies, which she claimed had assisted the Israeli military following the Hamas attacks that occurred on October 7, 2023.
Ruffalo further linked his criticism to the Ellison family’s proposal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for a staggering $111 billion. He remarked on Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his son, David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, expressing concern that such a deal could threaten editorial independence and job security by consolidating media power, bringing entities like CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. under one family’s control.
In an Instagram story, Ruffalo warned of the ramifications of Oracle’s technologies on global media. He wrote, “These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will likely be incorporated into one of the globe’s media giants, potentially impacting everyone. Look how she revels in what we have seen as genocide, built upon an oppressive apartheid system, powered by Oracle,” painting a grim picture of technology’s dark side.
Paramount subsequently issued a statement saying it was “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked” in what it characterized as a business dispute.
“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,” a company spokesperson added.
Ruffalo fired back Saturday, telling Fox News Digital the accusation that he is antisemitic was “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.” He maintained that criticism of the Israeli government, military technology contracts or the executives behind them should not be equated with criticism of Jewish people.
“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,” he said.
“The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.”
“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for serious national security review, and regulators still haven’t given the public a real answer. Until they do, the merger shouldn’t move forward. Now is the time to dive boldly into all these issues, not step back or concede,” he added.
The potential merger has also drawn legal scrutiny from a coalition of 12 state attorneys general challenging the deal. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed not to close the transaction until five days after a court rules on the merits of the states’ claims or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.
In a statement noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Jim Berk said, “Words matter, and so does the willingness to draw a line when legitimate debate gives way to antisemitic tropes. We commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism.”
Film critic Christian Toto, the founder and editor of Hollywood in Toto, told Fox News, “I’m guessing Mark would rather John Cusack have stayed silent on the matter!” Toto then pointed to controversial comments that Cusack has made on the situation in the Middle East.
Toto continued, “More importantly, the issue in play is getting more attention now that antisemitism is flaring up in the culture at large and within the Democratic Party. That hasn’t bled into Hollywood, Inc., yet, but it might sooner than later. Maybe a good example of that fracture is happening with the Paramount merger fight. Some Hollywood groups and Democrats are requesting a resolution to the matter, while others have dug their heels in, battling the merger at all costs.”
He concluded, “This could get ugly, becoming a Blue on Blue battle within La La Land that could cause real damage to careers.”