A prominent Hollywood star has sparked controversy by accusing Paramount of complicity in what he describes as ‘genocide’, prompting a fierce rebuttal from David Ellison’s influential media conglomerate.
Renowned actor Mark Ruffalo, aged 58, took to Instagram Stories on Friday to criticize Paramount, accusing billionaires David Ellison, 43, and his father Larry, 82, of being enablers of some of the world’s most destructive and inhumane forces.
In his post, Ruffalo shared an old video of Safra Catz, the former Oracle CEO and now executive vice chair of its board, stoking further controversy.
Ruffalo claimed to his audience of 20.5 million that this company is being leveraged by Larry Ellison to finance his son David’s acquisition of Warner Bros.
Paramount quickly issued a forceful response, saying they were ‘as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,’ according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
In response, a Paramount spokesperson criticized Ruffalo’s language, stating, ‘Using terms like “genocide” and “apartheid” in the context of a corporate deal is not just inaccurate but diminishes the profound suffering these words represent.’
The statement continued: ‘This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.’
The media conglomerate emphasized that it was ‘a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,’ insisting that it would ‘rather build than further engage in such rhetoric.’
Hollywood A-lister Mark Ruffalo, 58, accused David and Larry Ellison of ‘powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world’ on Instagram on Friday
David Ellison’s company said Ruffalo’s use of the words ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’ were ‘a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe’
Paramount said that Ruffalo’s remarks ‘simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction,’ referring to its proposed $110 billion merger with Warner Bros.
The company said it was committed ‘to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone.’
‘We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias,’ Paramount continued.
Paramount’s statement finished by asking for ‘less rhetoric, more understanding.’
In his Instagram story, Ruffalo asked, ‘Why has Trump pushed this illegal merger through?’
Ruffalo also called Larry Ellison a ‘classic oligarch’ who would own most of what he disparagingly coined ‘Para Bros.’
‘They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance,’ Ruffalo wrote.
Ruffalo accused Paramount of being complicit ‘in what we now have come to see as a genocide’
In his remarks, Ruffalo also took aim at Paramount’s $110 billion proposed merger with Warner Bros, calling it ‘catastrophic for our film industry’
Ellison’s company said that it was ‘a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it,’ as it dressed down Ruffalo’s remarks
Ruffalo noted that 12 Attorneys General were suing to stop the Paramount-Warner Bros merger.
‘It will be catastrophic for our film industry,’ Ruffalo wrote. ‘Merger [sic] like this are almost always bad for workers, consumers, and the industry they tend to dominate.’
The effort to stop the merger is being led by California, whose film industry has struggled in recent times.
Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros could cost Los Angeles County approximately 4,500 film and television jobs, according to a report published by LA County on Tuesday.
The video of Catz speaking that Ruffalo shared was from the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024, per the Hollywood Reporter.
Ruffalo wrote in his Instagram story: ‘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.’
In the clip, Catz talked about advancing ‘the agenda for the Israeli military’ and mentioned ‘really profoundly scary technology at Oracle.’
‘We wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort,’ she said, referring to the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Ruffalo’s representatives and Paramount for further comment.