Nearly 1,000 entertainment-industry figures, operating as The Brigade, have accused actor Mark Ruffalo of antisemitism over his criticism of Paramount’s leadership and its proposed $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. They said his remarks about Jewish executives and Israel invoked longstanding antisemitic tropes about wealth, power and responsibility for violence; Ruffalo strongly denied this, saying he was criticising corporate and political decisions rather than Jewish people. The dispute highlights continuing tensions in Hollywood over Israel, antisemitism and corporate involvement in defence-related technology.

The row began after Ruffalo shared an August video featuring Oracle executive vice-chair Safra Catz discussing technology used to assist Israel after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks. He linked Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, father of Paramount chief executive David Ellison, to financing for the acquisition and warned about the potential concentration of technology and media power. Paramount said it stood by its criticism of Ruffalo’s comments, while Hollywood figures have publicly split, with John Cusack supporting Ruffalo and others backing The Brigade.