Jane Fonda Defends Mark Ruffalo After Paramount Calls His Anti-Merger Remarks Antisemitic

Jane Fonda has waded into the escalating dispute between Mark Ruffalo and Paramount, calling the studio's decision to label Ruffalo's criticism of the Ellison family as antisemitic "a smear to delegitimize criticism of the merger" (Variety).

Fonda, a four-time Oscar nominee, released her statement on 26 August 2026 through the Committee for the 1st Amendment's Instagram account. Describing herself as a Jewish American, she wrote that she finds the use of false antisemitism accusations to silence legitimate political criticism "deeply troubling" (Variety).

The dispute centres on a planned $111 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., led by David Ellison (The Hollywood Reporter). Ruffalo, a vocal opponent of the deal, posted a clip to Instagram on a Friday showing Paramount board member Safra Catz discussing "profoundly scary technologies" that Oracle shared with the Israeli military after the 7 October terror attack (Variety). Oracle was co-founded by Larry Ellison, David Ellison's father.

In the same post, Ruffalo likened Larry Ellison to a "classic oligarch" and warned about the consequences if the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger were allowed to proceed (Variety). He had earlier criticised the Ellison family's business ties to Israel in connection with the war in Gaza (The Wrap).

A Paramount spokesperson responded that the company is "troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute" and said Paramount does not tolerate prejudice of any kind (Variety). On 25 August, Variety reported that Haim Saban, Teddy Schwartzman and Lawrence Bender were among those who condemned what they described as antisemitic tropes spread by Ruffalo online (Variety).

Ruffalo fired back on 23 August, calling the antisemitism accusation "appalling and fundamentally dishonest" and stating that he was criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister (Deadline; The Hollywood Reporter).

Fonda's statement pushed back firmly. She described Ruffalo as "a dedicated crusader for democracy" and a member of the Committee for the 1st Amendment, arguing that he has a First Amendment right to speak out about politics, powerful corporations and the merger. The charge of antisemitism, she wrote, should never be used as a cudgel against people whose political views are disliked (Variety; The Wrap).

Comedian Hannah Einbinder also defended Ruffalo on her Instagram Story, saying she was grateful he drew a connection between the Ellisons providing military technology to Israel during a genocide and their "unprecedented media takeover" (Variety). Einbinder rejected the idea that Ruffalo's remarks were antisemitic, noting that Catz sits on Paramount's board, that Larry Ellison donated tens of millions to Donald Trump's political efforts, and that Ellison once offered Benjamin Netanyahu a lucrative Oracle post (Variety).

The clash has drawn in figures from across the industry, pitting free-speech advocates against those who see Ruffalo's language as crossing a line. With the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger still under regulatory review, the public argument shows no sign of fading.