Paramount called Mark Ruffalo’s merger criticism ‘antisemitic.’ Hannah Einbinder comes to the defense of the actor: ‘Need to use our voices’

Hannah Einbinder is publicly backing Mark Ruffalo after Paramount labeled his recent criticism of the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger as antisemitic, Variety reported. The dispute began on Friday when Ruffalo posted an Instagram clip featuring Paramount board member Safra Catz. In the video, Catz discusses technologies provided by Oracle to the Israeli military following the October 7 attack.

Ruffalo described Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison as a classic oligarch and expressed concerns about the potential consequences of the merger, noting that the Ellisons are consolidating wealth and power. Regarding Catz, Ruffalo stated, “Look how she revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”

Paramount quickly responded to the comments with a formal statement. A spokesperson for the company said they are “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. 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.”

Einbinder utilized her Instagram Story to voice her support for Ruffalo

As a Jewish performer who has previously advocated for Palestinians, she argued that the connection between the Ellisons and the military technology used during the conflict is a vital issue. She wrote, “I’m so grateful that Mark Ruffalo drew a connection between the Ellisons providing military technology to Israel during a genocide and their unprecedented media takeover — and pointed out that this is a dangerous consolidation of power that could ultimately be used against us.”

Einbinder dismissed the accusations against Ruffalo as meritless. She explained, “The idea that he only said these things because the Ellisons are Jewish is LUDICROUS. Is it also antisemitic to point out that Safra Catz, the Oracle executive vice chair who boasted about the ‘profoundly scary technology’ provided to the IDF, also sits on Paramount’s board? Or that Larry Ellison has been buying favor with Trump by donating tens of millions to his political effort for years? Or that he once offered Netanyahu a lucrative Oracle post?”

She further suggested that those who insist on framing the issue around the Ellisons being Jewish are the ones engaging in antisemitism. Ruffalo addressed the backlash on X on Saturday. He called the accusation that he is antisemitic both appalling and dishonest. He clarified that his critiques of the Israeli prime minister or military contracts are separate from his feelings toward Jewish people.

Ruffalo added, “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.”

Einbinder concluded her support for Ruffalo by emphasizing the importance of visibility for artists. She noted, “All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence. Visibility is a responsibility. Those of us with a platform need to use our voices before speaking out is outlawed altogether.”