Paramount Brands Ruffalo Antisemitic; Actor Fires Back

Ruffalo: "The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel."

He added that his 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," crediting "Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones" for shaping his acting and activism.

Ruffalo also defended the substance of his attack: "This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country." He said scrutinizing the Ellisons — "including Oracle's business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families" — is "fair and necessary," and said the deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., "backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public."

Curtis Houck, managing editor at the Media Research Center's NewsBusters, told Fox News Digital that "Paramount Skydance was absolutely right to respond to this actual, serious anti-Semitic smear," and predicted "little chance Ruffalo will face sustained pushback from the liberal elitist press."

Christian Toto, editor of Hollywoodintoto.com, told Fox News Digital: "Mark Ruffalo went too far. It's that simple." Toto said Ruffalo has "gotten essentially a pass for some time now, blending his political activism with extreme pro-Palestinian thoughts," and that the size of the merger "magnifies everything said around the subject."

Fox News Digital said it contacted representatives for Ruffalo about Paramount's response and did not immediately receive a reply, and that it also sought additional comment from Paramount.