Einbinder backs Ruffalo: "Antisemitic? That's ridiculous"
The star of "Hacks" came to the defense of Mark Ruffalo after he was accused of antisemitism following his criticism of the Ellison family and the Paramount deal with Warner Bros. The Jewish-American actress, who has previously spoken out harshly against Israel, wrote: "The Ellisons are providing military technology to Israel during a genocide." John Cusack also stood by Ruffalo, addressing the kite terrorism in a provocative manner.
After the attack comes the backup: Hannah Einbinder and John Cusack have come to the defense of Mark Ruffalo, who was accused of antisemitism following his criticism of the Ellison family and the Paramount deal with Warner Bros.
Summary of previous events: Ruffalo sparked a storm when he linked the Ellison family, the Oracle company, and Israel's military activity to the mega-deal. "These terrifying technologies will likely merge into one of the largest media corporations in the world, and one day will be used against you," he wrote over the weekend. The remarks drew condemnation from Paramount, Noa Tishby, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center - and now, as mentioned, he is also receiving support.
The star of "Hacks", Jewish-American actress Hannah Einbinder, came to Ruffalo's defense in an Instagram story, calling the claim that he is antisemitic ridiculous. "I am so grateful that Mark Ruffalo pointed out the connection between the fact that the Ellisons are providing military technology to Israel during a genocide and their unprecedented media takeover - and pointed out that this is a dangerous concentration of power that could eventually be used against us," Einbinder wrote on Monday. "The idea that he said these things just because the Ellisons are Jewish is ridiculous."
Einbinder, who has previously spoken out harshly against Israel and even called its actions in Gaza a massacre, continued and wrote: "Is it also antisemitic to point out that Safra Catz, the vice-chair of Oracle who boasted of 'deeply terrifying technology' supplied to the IDF, also sits on the board of Paramount? Or that Larry Ellison has been buying favor with Donald Trump for years through tens of millions in donations to his political efforts? Or that he once offered Benjamin Netanyahu a lucrative job at Oracle?". According to her, this is a critique of right-wing oligarchs from the tech world who are in the process of executing the largest media acquisition in history. Period, end of story.
Joining Einbinder was John Cusack, who expressed support for Ruffalo on X. Cusack shared Ruffalo's response to Paramount's accusations and wrote: "Solidarity. Well said." Cusack is already known for his harsh positions against Israel, and tonight he provided another example: the actor shared on X a post by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, which stated: "Israel said that paper kites flown by Palestinian children would be considered weapons of war. This is the reality of genocide: the total destruction of innocence, freedom, and joy. All military cooperation with Israel must be stopped immediately." Cusack added to this: "More unthinkable crimes."
The support for Ruffalo comes after a Paramount spokesperson responded sharply on Friday to his words and called them antisemitic. "We are concerned when antisemitic stereotypes are used as part of a business dispute," the press release stated at the time. "Words like 'genocide' and 'apartheid', when attributed to a corporate deal, are not only wrong - this is beyond all boundaries, and they cheapen the very real suffering that these words are intended to describe."
Ruffalo, for his part, strongly rejected the accusation. "The accusation that I am antisemitic is shocking and fundamentally false. Criticism of the actions of the Prime Minister of Israel, a military technology contract, or the executives who provide it is not criticism of Jews," he wrote in response. "This critical and necessary discourse is being falsely presented as anti-Israel." Ruffalo added that this merger has real consequences for real people, and for the country as a whole. "An examination of the Ellisons, including the Oracle business built on data, surveillance technology, and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The $111 billion deal will transfer control of CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros to one family... Legislators from both sides of the political aisle have called for a serious national security review, and regulators have yet to provide the public with a real answer. Until that happens, the merger should not proceed."
