Actress Jane Fonda has publicly defended actor Mark Ruffalo after Paramount accused him of invoking antisemitic tropes, directly criticising Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison over the row. Speaking at Diane von Furstenberg's DVF Awards, Fonda said Ellison was using antisemitism accusations as a tactic against Ruffalo because he disagreed with his stance on the proposed Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros Discovery merger, and argued Ruffalo had said nothing beyond his constitutional rights. The dispute matters because it has drawn wider industry figures into a public fight over free speech, corporate power and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Paramount accused Ruffalo of antisemitism after he shared a video of Oracle executive Safra Catz discussing technology used to assist Israel following the October 7 Hamas attacks, and linked Larry Ellison, father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, to financing behind the merger, calling it a vehicle for "oppression." Ruffalo called the accusation "appalling and fundamentally dishonest," saying criticism of Israeli policy and military contractors is not equivalent to antisemitism. More than 180 Jewish entertainers signed a letter backing Ruffalo, while Fonda separately criticised the proposed merger itself as debt-driven and harmful to consumers and jobs. Paramount had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the article.