Actress Hannah Einbinder publicly defended Mark Ruffalo on Monday after a Paramount spokesperson labeled the actor’s criticism of the Ellison family antisemitic, escalating a dispute rooted in opposition to the studio’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Einbinder, known for her role in “Hacks,” posted a lengthy Instagram Story calling the accusation against Ruffalo baseless and arguing that scrutiny of the Ellisons’ business dealings has nothing to do with their Jewish identity.
The controversy began when Ruffalo shared a video on Instagram showing Oracle executive vice chair Safra Catz describing technology the company supplied to Israel’s military as unsettling in its capabilities. Ruffalo linked that footage to Larry Ellison, the Oracle co-founder whose fortune is helping finance his son David Ellison’s bid to merge Paramount Skydance with Warner Bros. Discovery. He characterized the situation as part of a troubling pattern of unchecked power. A Paramount spokesperson responded by branding the remarks antisemitic, prompting Ruffalo to call the accusation dishonest in a widely shared post on X that has since drawn tens of millions of views.
Einbinder, who is Jewish, wrote that conflating criticism of Israeli military policy with hostility toward Jewish people strips the term antisemitism of meaning. She noted that Catz sits on Paramount’s board alongside her role at Oracle, and pointed to Larry Ellison’s political donations and past outreach to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as fair subjects for public scrutiny. She framed her support for Ruffalo as part of a broader defense of Hollywood’s labor force, warning that the merger could eliminate thousands of jobs among crew members and other industry workers.
The $111 billion transaction would consolidate control of CNN, HBO and Warner Bros. under the Ellison family, drawing continued attention to the foreign and domestic financing behind the deal. Ruffalo has positioned his objections primarily around the merger’s implications for media consolidation and editorial independence, arguing that examining the financial and political networks behind such deals remains legitimate regardless of the individuals involved. Paramount has not issued further comment beyond its initial statement addressing Ruffalo’s remarks.
