LOS ANGELES — More than 170 Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers, and cultural leaders—including Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Coen, Hannah Einbinder, Ilana Glazer, Jonathan Glazer, and Tony Kushner—have signed an open letter defending actor Mark Ruffalo following allegations of antisemitism raised by Paramount.
The public feud escalated after Ruffalo shared posts on social media campaigning against Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. In his critique, Ruffalo pointed to tech billionaire Larry Ellison and Oracle’s military technology contracts with Israel, connecting corporate media consolidation in Hollywood to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Paramount responded by publicly condemning Ruffalo, accusing him of invoking “antisemitic tropes” regarding Jewish executives and wealthy interests to influence a business dispute, and stating that using terms like “genocide” and “apartheid” in the context of a corporate transaction was inappropriate. Ruffalo called the accusations “appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” emphasizing that criticizing military technology contracts or corporate executives is not equivalent to hostility toward Jewish people.
The newly released open letter denounces Paramount’s statements as an “outrageous smear campaign” and warns against the “false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism” to silence political speech. The signatories argued that pointing out connections between Hollywood media ownership, defense technology, and foreign policy is “the exact opposite of antisemitism” and aligns with their moral responsibility. The dispute underscores deep divisions within the entertainment industry over media consolidation, corporate influence, and foreign policy discourse.