John Cusack weighs in after Mark Ruffalo defends himself against Paramount’s allegations of antisemitism
John Cusack weighs in after Mark Ruffalo defends himself against Paramount’s allegations of antisemitism
Shania RussellSun, August 23, 2026 at 8:02 PM UTC
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John Cusack; Mark RuffaloCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty;Katie Jones/Variety via GettyKey Points -
Mark Ruffalo is defending himself against Paramount’s claim that his post criticizing Oracle was “antisemitic.”
Ruffalo slammed the accusation as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” while defending his right to scrutinize the company’s actions.
John Cusack responded by posting in support of Ruffalo.
John Cusack is standing in “solidarity” with Mark Ruffalo as the actor weathers accusations of antisemitism.
Last week, Ruffalo criticized tech company Oracle — owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, who is the father of Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison – for its ties to the Israeli military. The actor was subsequently slammed by Paramount in a statement accusing Ruffalo of invoking “antisemitic tropes.”
In his response, Ruffalo — who has been a staunch opponent of Paramount’s $111 billion effort to buy Warner Bros. — rejected that claim, arguing, “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.”
Mark Ruffalo at the ‘Crime 101’ screening on Jan. 28, 2026Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
Ruffalo continued, “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 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.”
Responding to Ruffalo, Cusack offered his support, writing, “Solidarity — well said.”
In his initial post, shared Friday to his Instagram story, Ruffalo publicly denounced Safra Catz, Oracle’s executive vice chair and a Paramount board member, for discussing “profoundly scary technologies” that Oracle gave the Israeli government to be used in strikes on Gaza. Ruffalo described the Israeli military’s actions as a “genocide” that “was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”
He added, “From one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world. Why has Trump pushed this illegal merger through?”
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On Friday, Paramount Skydance addressed his post with a statement issued to several outlets.
“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” the statement began, per Variety. “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. This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.”
John Cusack and Mark RuffaloCredit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic;Chris DELMAS / AFP
In addition to defending himself against the antisemitism claims in his Saturday response, Ruffalo again criticized the studio’s efforts to buy Warner Bros. and defended his right to push back on the issue.
“This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country,” Ruffalo wrote. “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. 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. “
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He continued, “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.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
