The controversy began after Ruffalo spoke out against Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery
Jane Fonda has publicly defended Mark Ruffalo after Paramount Skydance accused the actor of invoking antisemitic tropes while criticising the company’s proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Fonda, through her Committee for the First Amendment, issued a statement supporting Ruffalo and arguing that accusations of antisemitism should not be used to silence criticism of powerful corporations or political issues.
“Mark Ruffalo has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and this dangerous merger, full stop,” Fonda said in a statement shared by the Committee for the First Amendment.
The controversy began after Ruffalo spoke out against Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. In a social media post, the Avengers star criticised the Ellison family and raised concerns about Oracle’s business and its reported connections to Israeli military technology.
Paramount subsequently accused Ruffalo of using antisemitic tropes in his criticism. The company said that references to “genocide” and “apartheid” in the context of the proposed corporate merger were inappropriate and argued that his comments crossed a line.
Ruffalo strongly rejected the accusation, insisting that his criticism was directed at corporate and political actions rather than Jewish people. He described the allegations as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest” and pointed to his history of standing alongside Jewish colleagues and friends.
The dispute has unfolded as Hollywood figures debate the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, which would combine two of the industry’s major entertainment companies. Ruffalo has argued that the merger could have consequences for media competition, jobs, editorial independence and the concentration of corporate power.
Fonda’s intervention adds her name to a growing list of entertainment figures defending Ruffalo. Actor John Cusack and other members of Hollywood have also expressed support for the Poor Things star, rejecting Paramount’s characterisation of his comments as antisemitic.
Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment was established to advocate for freedom of expression and has previously campaigned against attempts to silence political speech in the entertainment industry. Her statement frames the Ruffalo controversy as a free-speech issue, arguing that criticism of corporate power should remain protected even when it generates controversy.
Paramount’s accusations and Ruffalo’s response have intensified an already contentious debate surrounding the proposed merger, with the dispute now extending beyond Hollywood’s business concerns into a broader argument over political speech, antisemitism and the limits of public criticism.
