American actor Mark Ruffalo has triggered a new debate in Hollywood after his comments slamming Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison. In a post on Instagram, Ruffalo accused the father and son duo of “powering some of the most destructive forces in the world.” The award-winning actor re-posted an year-old video clip featuring Jewish Paramount Skydance board member Safra Catz speaking on a panel. In text accompanying the clip he told his 20 million Instagram followers it showed Catz “revelling” in a “genocide” powered by tech company Oracle. For those unaware, Catz is the former CEO of Oracle, which was co-founded by Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.Responding to his post, Paramount issued a rare statement condemning Ruffalo. The company said that it is “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute.”
Upset Paramount issues statement on Mark Ruffalo
“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.”“This brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it. We’d rather build than further engage in such rhetoric. This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction. On the other hand, our commitment to great content is matched by our commitment to acceptance – to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone.”Earlier today, Ruffalo shared a video of Oracle’s executive vice chair Safra Catz boasting about the company’s efforts to “advance the agenda for the Israeli military” by making “really profoundly scary technology” available to them. He slammed the Ellison family’s ties to Israel and their role in “what we now have come to see as a genocide” in Gaza, adding: “This is the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition.“
What Mark Ruffalo told his 20 million Instagram followers that made Paramount issue rare statement
The dispute traces to a social media post from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The post featured comments from Oracle Executive Vice Chair Catz describing the company’s assistance to Israel following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. BDS captioned the clip by accusing Oracle of being “complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity — including apartheid and genocide against Palestinians.”Ruffalo re-shared the post to his Instagram Story and 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,” Ruffalo wrote. “Look how [Catz] revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.” Ruffalo further urged his followers to push back against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, arguing it would be “catastrophic for our film industry”In his response to Paramount’s criticism post, Ruffalo reiterated that his criticism was not directed at Jewish people. He wrote, “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. 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.”
