Actor Mark Ruffalo has called allegations of antisemitism "appalling and fundamentally dishonest" after Paramount Skydance accused him of invoking antisemitic tropes in his criticism of its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery.
The dispute stems from a social media post by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement that Ruffalo amplified, in which he accused David and Larry Ellison of "powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world". Larry Ellison, chief executive of Oracle — which has supplied software to Israel's military and government for decades — agreed to backstop $40.4 billion in equity financing for the deal. Paramount said it was "troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute".
The merger, approved by the US Department of Justice in June, would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros. Failure to close by 30 September could cost Paramount Skydance around $7 million a day in fees.