John Cusack backs Mark Ruffalo as Paramount labels his Oracle criticism antisemitic

Actor John Cusack posted a message of solidarity on X after Mark Ruffalo responded to Paramount’s claim that his remarks about Oracle invoked antisemitic tropes. Ruffalo had criticized Oracle executive Safra Catz, who also serves on Paramount’s board, and highlighted the company’s role in providing technology to the Israeli military following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Ruffalo linked his criticism to the proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by the Ellison family, arguing that the deal could threaten editorial independence and result in job losses. He posted on Instagram that the technologies used by Oracle could be incorporated into a large media conglomerate and described the situation as “genocide” and “apartheid.”

Paramount issued a statement saying it was “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked” and that using terms such as “genocide” and “apartheid” in a business dispute “cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe.”

Ruffalo told Fox News Digital that the accusation of antisemitism was “appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” and said criticism of Israeli government contracts should not be equated with criticism of Jewish people. He argued that scrutiny of Oracle’s data-surveillance contracts and the potential merger’s impact on editorial freedom is “fair and necessary.”

The merger faces legal challenges from a coalition of twelve state attorneys general. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to delay closing the transaction until a court rules on the states’ claims or until June 1 2027, whichever occurs later.

Jim Berk, CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, praised Paramount’s statement, saying the company “refused to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism.”

Commentary from film critic Christian Toto noted that the dispute reflects broader tensions within Hollywood and the Democratic Party over the merger and related political issues.