Avengers star Ruffalo protests antisemitism accusations

Hollywood actor calls accusation from giant film studio 'appalling' in wake of posting support for anti-Israel BDS movement.

Published Aug 24, 2026  •  3 minute read

Avengers star Mark Ruffalo Photo by Getty Images

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Actor Mark Ruffalo is hulking out over accusations that he’s antisemitic.

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The Avengers star, a vocal critic of Israel over the war in Gaza, took to X on Saturday to protest the accusations following his comments over the potential merger of Paramount Skydance with Warner Bros., calling them “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.”

Some of my best friends….

“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,” Ruffalo said on X. “This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. 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.”

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The brouhaha stems back to a social media post from the anti-Israel Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement that Ruffalo boosted, which features comments from Oracle executive vice chair Safra Catz that described how the company assisted Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Islamic terror group Hamas. In that post, BDS accused Israel of committing genocide, and Oracle of being complicit in it.

“Oracle’s partnerships with the Israeli military, its leadership’s ideological commitment to Zionism, and its role in maintaining Israel’s illegal occupation mean the company is complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity — including apartheid and genocide against Palestinians,” BDS said.

Ruffalo reshared the post to his Instagram.

“This is the company that (Oracle co-founder) Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David’s Warner Bros. acquisition,” the actor wrote. “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.”

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Austin-based tech giant Oracle has become increasingly involved in AI, and is a stakeholder in social media platform TikTok. Oracle, among many other tech firms, has a sizable presence in Israel.

Paramount responds

Paramount responded to Ruffalo’s comments in a lengthy statement, asking the actor to tone down the rhetoric while calling his remarks, “antisemitic.”

“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” Paramount stated. “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.”

Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Jim Berk lauded Paramount’s statement, issuing its own to Deadline.com.

“Words matter, and so does the willingness to draw a line when legitimate debate gives way to antisemitic tropes,” Berk wrote. “We commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism. At a time when antisemitism is too often minimized, rationalized or repackaged in more socially acceptable language, this kind of moral clarity matters.”

Cusack weighs in

Actor John Cusack showed Ruffalo support with a brief statement on X.

“Solidarity – well said,” posted Cusack.

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