Hollywood’s Jews take sides in Mark Ruffalo-Paramount antisemitism row

An open letter signed by 170 Jewish personalities, including actors Joaquin Phoenix and Debra Winger, and filmmakers Joel Coen and Jonathan Glazer, defends Mark Ruffalo against accusations of antisemitism. Ruffalo had linked Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, a key figure in the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, to his father Larry Ellison's company, Oracle, which Ruffalo claimed supports an “apartheid system of oppression” in Gaza. Paramount and several Jewish groups condemned Ruffalo's comments, with Paramount stating they exposed the “true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction.” The open letter, however, called the accusations a “false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism,” asserting that “Pointing out the crucial connections between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Hollywood is the exact opposite of antisemitism.” The $110 billion merger faces an antitrust lawsuit, and opposition has grown due to concerns about industry consolidation and David Ellison's ties to Donald Trump.