More Than 170 Jewish Entertainment Figures Sign Letter Defending Mark Ruffalo

More than 170 Jewish artists, writers, religious leaders, and entertainment industry professionals signed an open letter on Tuesday supporting actor Mark Ruffalo, following Paramount’s accusation that he employed antisemitic tropes in his criticism of the studio’s planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery a few days earlier.

The letter calls the accusations made against Ruffalo an “outrageous smear campaign” and argues that any criticism of the merger and of how Israel behaves in Gaza is not antisemitism. The list of signatories includes Hannah Einbinder, Joel Coen, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Gina Gershon, Kate Berlant, Tony Kushner, Todd Haynes, James Schamus, Emma Seligman, Jane Schoenbrun, and Wallace Shawn, among others, The Wrap reported, which published the letter in full.

This debate began with Ruffalo’s August 21 social media post, in which the actor criticized the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal for its implications for Hollywood jobs and media consolidation. Moreover, in the same post, the Marvel star claimed that the Ellison family played a part in the so-called genocide against Palestinians and referred to Oracle’s dealings with the Israeli army.

Chairman and CEO David Ellison owns Paramount, and his father, Larry Ellison, a co-founder of Oracle, backed the company’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

According to a Paramount spokesperson, the company finds it disturbing to employ antisemitic tropes to support a business deal, referring to these remarks as “a bridge too far.”

The actor rejected the allegation, saying that calling his comments appalling and fundamentally dishonest is wrong, as Variety reported. He claimed that criticizing the Israeli prime minister, a military-technology contract, and executives involved in it does not mean the same as criticizing Jewish people.

The open letter published by Ruffalo and his colleagues goes even further, claiming that the merger is part of a larger trend of media and technology consolidation. Citing a recent poll by The Washington Post, the signers state that 61% of American Jews consider Israel to be committing war crimes in Gaza and 40% think of these actions as genocide. Furthermore, the signers argue that connecting Gaza events with Hollywood through their comments is an example of Jewish ethical obligation, not prejudice.

This letter, published on Tuesday, is the second open letter to circulate in the industry over this incident, and the two letters oppose each other.

Last week, a group formed under The Brigade, which claims to represent nearly 1,000 members and allies of the Jewish community who work in film, television, music, Broadway, and digital media, condemned Ruffalo’s comments. This letter argues that singling out Jewish executives and using conspiracy-theory language towards them is an example of antisemitism no matter how the message is framed. Among the signatories of this letter were Haim Saban, Lawrence Bender, Ram Bergman, Anthony Bregman, Teddy Schwarzman, and Ben Silverman.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center and Creative Communities for Peace supported Paramount’s statement.

Other individuals also expressed their views on the situation. Actress Hannah Einbinder, the winner of an Emmy Award for her performance in Hacks, thanked Ruffalo for bringing the connection between Ellison’s tech dealings and their media holdings into light. Playwright and director Kenneth Lonergan published his own letter on Tuesday, calling the claim that Ruffalo is antisemitic preposterous.

The merger in question remains unresolved. On February 8th, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery reached a definitive agreement under which Paramount would pay $31 per share in cash and said in August that it had received clearances in 68 jurisdictions, including the US, the European Union, and China.

However, the deal is currently on hold. A coalition of 12 states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit to stop the transaction, while the Writers Guild of America filed another. In July, Paramount agreed not to close the deal until the trial takes place or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first. The trial is set for March 2027.

Paramount representatives did not respond to the request for comment in Tuesday’s letter.