Jane Fonda Defends Mark Ruffalo Against Paramount's 'Antisemitic' Accusation

Jane Fonda has issued a statement supporting Mark Ruffalo after Paramount accused him of antisemitism. Ruffalo had criticized Larry Ellison's ties to Israel and David Ellison's planned merger with Warner Bros.

Fonda, identifying as a Jewish American, expressed deep concern over the use of false accusations of antisemitism to suppress legitimate political commentary. She emphasized that antisemitism is a serious issue and should not be weaponized against those with differing political views, especially against someone like Ruffalo, whom she described as a dedicated advocate for democracy.

"Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations, and this dangerous merger — full stop," Fonda stated. She argued that labeling his criticism as antisemitic is a deliberate attempt to discredit opposition to the merger and to avoid addressing the fundamental question of whether one company should wield such significant control over media.

Ruffalo had previously shared a video highlighting comments by Safra Catz, a Paramount board member, regarding "profoundly scary technologies" shared by Oracle (co-founded by Larry Ellison) with the Israeli military following the Oct. 7 attack. Ruffalo characterized Larry Ellison as a "classic oligarch" and voiced concerns about the potential consequences of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

Paramount, in response, stated they were troubled by the invocation of antisemitic tropes in a business dispute, arguing that terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" in the context of a corporate transaction are inappropriate and devalue real suffering. The company affirmed its intolerance for prejudice.

Hannah Einbinder, an actress from "Hacks," also publicly supported Ruffalo, commending him for connecting the Ellisons' provision of military technology to Israel during a period she described as a "genocide" with their pursuit of a media takeover. She dismissed the notion that Ruffalo's comments were motivated by the Ellisons' Jewish heritage and questioned the antisemitism accusations, pointing to other relevant aspects of the situation.

Jane Fonda has publicly supported Mark Ruffalo after Paramount criticized him for allegedly antisemitic remarks. Ruffalo had spoken out against Larry Ellison's connections to Israel and David Ellison's proposed merger with Warner Bros.

Fonda, in a statement shared via the Committee for the 1st Amendment's Instagram, voiced her distress at seeing accusations of antisemitism used to silence valid political criticism. She stressed that antisemitism is a genuine and dangerous issue, and thus, its charge should not be wielded as a tool against individuals with whom one disagrees politically, particularly an activist like Ruffalo.

"Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and this dangerous merger — full stop," Fonda asserted. She characterized the antisemitism claim as a tactic to undermine criticism of the merger and deflect from the core issue: whether a single company should gain excessive control over film, television, and news.

Previously, Ruffalo had posted a video featuring Paramount board member Safra Catz discussing advanced technologies supplied by Oracle, co-founded by Larry Ellison, to the Israeli military after the October 7th attacks. Ruffalo described Larry Ellison as an "oligarch" and warned about the implications of a Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

Paramount issued a statement expressing concern over what it called the invocation of antisemitic tropes within a business disagreement. The company deemed the use of terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" in relation to a corporate transaction as inappropriate and a trivialization of severe suffering, while reiterating its stance against all forms of prejudice.

Actress Hannah Einbinder also defended Ruffalo, applauding him for drawing a link between the Ellisons' supply of military technology to Israel during what she termed a "genocide" and their media consolidation efforts, which she viewed as a potentially harmful concentration of power.

Jane Fonda has released a statement backing Mark Ruffalo after Paramount characterized his recent comments as antisemitic. Ruffalo had previously denounced Larry Ellison's association with Israel and David Ellison's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros.

Fonda, identifying as Jewish herself, stated her profound concern regarding the misuse of antisemitism accusations to stifle legitimate political critique. She underscored the reality and danger of antisemitism, emphasizing it should never be employed as a weapon against individuals with opposing political views, especially a dedicated advocate like Ruffalo.

"Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and this dangerous merger — full stop," Fonda declared. She labeled the antisemitism accusation as a smear intended to invalidate opposition to the merger and sidestep the crucial question of whether one entity should dominate the film, television, and news industries.

Earlier, Ruffalo had shared a clip where Paramount board member Safra Catz discussed "profoundly scary technologies" that tech giant Oracle, co-founded by Larry Ellison, had provided to the Israeli military after the October 7th attacks. Ruffalo referred to Larry Ellison as a "classic oligarch" and expressed apprehension about the potential ramifications of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

In response, Paramount stated its dismay at the use of antisemitic tropes within a business dispute, arguing that applying terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" to a corporate deal was unacceptable and diminished the significance of actual suffering. The company reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy for prejudice.

Actress Hannah Einbinder also voiced support for Ruffalo, commending him for highlighting the connection between the Ellisons' military technology provision to Israel during a "genocide" and their move to consolidate media power, which she described as a perilous concentration of influence.

Jane Fonda has publicly supported actor Mark Ruffalo after Paramount criticized his recent statements as antisemitic. Ruffalo had voiced his opposition to Larry Ellison's ties to Israel and David Ellison's plan to merge with Warner Bros.

Fonda, speaking as a Jewish American, expressed dismay at the use of antisemitism claims to silence legitimate political dissent. She stressed that antisemitism is a real and dangerous issue, and therefore, should not be used to attack individuals with whom one disagrees, especially a committed advocate like Ruffalo.

"Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and this dangerous merger — full stop," Fonda asserted. She argued that calling his criticism antisemitic is a smear tactic designed to discredit opposition to the merger and avoid addressing whether one company should control so much of the media landscape.

Ruffalo had previously shared a video where Paramount board member Safra Catz spoke about advanced technologies that Oracle, co-founded by Larry Ellison, had supplied to the Israeli military following the October 7th attacks. Ruffalo labeled Larry Ellison a "classic oligarch" and raised concerns about the proposed merger.

Paramount responded by stating their concern about antisemitic tropes appearing in a business dispute, claiming that terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" were misused in the context of a corporate transaction and devalued real suffering. They also reiterated their opposition to all forms of prejudice.

Actress Hannah Einbinder also defended Ruffalo, thanking him for connecting the Ellisons' military technology supply to Israel during a "genocide" with their media consolidation efforts, which she characterized as a dangerous concentration of power.

Jane Fonda has issued a statement in defense of Mark Ruffalo after Paramount declared his recent comments to be antisemitic. Ruffalo had previously criticized Larry Ellison's relationship with Israel and David Ellison's intended merger with Warner Bros.

Fonda, identifying herself as a Jewish American, expressed deep concern over the tactic of falsely accusing individuals of antisemitism to suppress valid political criticism. She emphasized that antisemitism is a serious threat and should not be used as a weapon against those whose political views are disliked, especially someone as committed to democracy as Ruffalo.

"Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and this dangerous merger — full stop," Fonda stated. She described the antisemitism charge as a smear aimed at discrediting criticism of the merger and distracting from the question of whether a single company should amass such power over media.

Ruffalo had earlier shared a video featuring Paramount board member Safra Catz discussing "profoundly scary technologies" provided by Oracle, co-founded by Larry Ellison, to the Israeli military post the October 7th attacks. Ruffalo labeled Larry Ellison a "classic oligarch" and warned about the implications of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

Paramount, in its response, conveyed distress over the invocation of antisemitic tropes in what it considered a business dispute. The company argued that using terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" in reference to a corporate transaction was inappropriate and diminished the severity of the suffering those words describe, while also stating it does not tolerate prejudice.

Actress Hannah Einbinder also supported Ruffalo, thanking him for drawing a link between the Ellisons' provision of military technology to Israel during a "genocide" and their media takeover. She dismissed the idea that Ruffalo's remarks were motivated by the Ellisons' Jewish identity.