Paramount clapped back at Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo and accused him of invoking “antisemitic tropes” in an unhinged rant where he raged against the company’s proposed Warner Bros merger.
The media giant swiftly issued a lengthy statement on Friday after the Hulk-portrayer spouted off on social media, criticizing the intended $110 billion merger as “crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world.”
“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of 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,” the company said in a statement, reported by CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Oracle’s Larry Ellison, left, and his son Paramount CEO David Ellison back in 2013. Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP
“This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone,” Paramound said, adding that “this brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it.”
“This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction,” the company continued. “On the other hand, our commitment to great content is matched by our commitment to acceptance – 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. We’re asking for the same good faith we’re extending: less rhetoric, more understanding. Paramount’s future is being written for everyone who wants to make and watch great stories,” the statement concluded.
The Hulk portrayer spouted off on social media, and was accused of using “antisemitic tropes” as he criticized the Paramount-Warner Bros merger. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
The response came after 58-year-old Ruffalo shared a years-old video of former Oracle CEO Safra Catz, posted by the BDS Movement, speaking about “profoundly scary technology at Oracle” to his Instagram Stories.
The “Zodiac” actor shared the clip in a now-expired post, writing: “This is the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition.
“These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you.
“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,” the “Shutter Island” actor wrote.
“Larry Ellison will own most of ‘Para Bros.’ Larry is a classic Oligarch. They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance,” he said.
Representatives for Oracle and Warner Bros did not immediately return requests for comment.
Social media screenshot of Ruffalo’s remarks.
Ruffalo pushed back against claims he is antisemitic — calling the accusation “appalling” in a statement to The Post.
“The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. 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,” he said.
“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 a 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,” the actor continued.
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Ruffalo also claimed the Paramount-Warner Bros merger “has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country.”
The statements come just days after Paramount Skydance asked a federal judge to require the dozen states challenging its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery to post a $1.88 billion bond to address the costs of delay to the corporate marriage.
Paramount is required to pay a fee of $7 million per day if the $110 billion merger does not close by Sept. 30.
The states challenging are California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.
The attorneys general in those states have argued that the acquisition would violate the Clayton Antitrust Act, which prohibits anticompetitive mergers.