Paramount slams actor Mark Ruffalo for invoking antisemitic tropes over the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Ruffalo fired back, calling the allegations outrageous and dishonest.
Actor Mark Ruffalo blasted the outcome of the long-running battle over Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery after a federal judge cleared the Hollywood megadeal to move forward Wednesday.
Ruffalo, who has been one of Hollywood’s most vocal opponents of the merger, called the results “incredibly disappointing.”
“This merger will stifle creativity, destroy free speech, and cost people jobs – this is a bad deal for this country and will not be approved,” Ruffalo wrote in a post on X.
“This is a disappointing result for the hundreds of thousands of us who stood up to prevent it, but it is also not the end,” he said. “This grassroots movement is not going away and neither is it a decision. This is not just about one merger: this is about fighting corrupt oligarch billionaires who trample on the interests of everyday people to line their own pockets.”
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Mark Ruffalo argued that the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger would “stifle creativity, weaken free speech, and cost people their jobs” after a federal judge cleared the deal to move forward. (Karwai Tang/WireImage/Unknown)
“We’re still in that fight,” he said. “Join us.”
A federal judge on Wednesday issued an order allowing Paramount to close its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the way for the historic Hollywood merger to move forward.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín called the deal a “reasonable factual and legal resolution” while rejecting arguments calling for broader restrictions.
The order comes after Paramount and a California-led coalition of 12 state attorneys general, which sued to block the acquisition, reached a settlement.
Attorney General of California Rob Bonta, who leads the coalition, previously said the joint company made “an enforceable commitment to significantly increase domestic production.”
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Paramount Studios sign in Los Angeles, California on April 23, 2026. (Noah Suave/Getty Images)
Under the settlement, the company committed to release at least 30 films per year in each of the first two years, followed by 32 films per year for the next three years. At least four films per year must be independent releases.
Paramount also agreed to spend at least an additional $1.5 billion on U.S. film production over five years compared to 2025 spending levels, according to Bonta’s office.
Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are expected to close the deal Oct. 6, according to Reuters.
Just days before the settlement was announced, Ruffalo had publicly pressured Bonta not to settle.
“Don’t you dare @AGrobBonta, don’t cave,” Ruffalo wrote on X.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a coalition of 12 state attorneys general sued to block Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery before reaching a settlement with the company. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images/Getty Images)
In July, the states sued to block the deal, arguing it would reduce competition and give the combined company enormous market power in the distribution of movies and basic cable programming. The settlement announced on September 21 resolves the claim, according to Bonta’s office.
FOX Business’ Brian Flood and Reuters contributed to this report.