Kenneth Lonergan called Mark Ruffalo antisemitism allegations “overtly preposterous” and dishonest.
Lonergan defended Ruffalo despite disagreeing with several of his Middle East positions.
Paramount's response sparked wider debate over Mark Ruffalo's Gaza and merger criticism.
Mark Ruffalo's antisemitism controversy has drawn another prominent Hollywood voice to the actor’s defence. Filmmaker and playwright Kenneth Lonergan has strongly rejected allegations against his longtime friend, calling the suggestion that Ruffalo is antisemitic “overtly preposterous”.
Lonergan, who has known Ruffalo for around three decades and worked with him on You Can Count On Margaret and Me, addressed the controversy in a letter first reported by The Hollywood Reporter; his defence is particularly notable because Lonergan also made it clear that he does not share all of Ruffalo's political views on the Middle East.
Kenneth Lonergan on the Mark Ruffalo antisemitism allegations
Lonergan wrote, “While I hope I share Mark’s basic humanitarianism, and likewise deplore the conduct of the war as I understand it, I disagree profoundly with many of his positions on the Middle East, Israel, Gaza and Iran’s constellation of fanatical Islamic fundamentalist proxies.”
He added, “I think we share an equally dim view of fanatical Messianic Zionist fundamentalism.”
Despite those disagreements, Lonergan firmly rejected the accusations against Ruffalo. “But Mark has been a dear friend for 30 years. The notion that he is antisemitic is overtly preposterous, and the accusation itself a cynical and disgusting lie.”
Lonergan also questioned why Ruffalo was being accused of antisemitism now, writing, “Mark Ruffalo has been talking about Israel since long before the Gaza war. Apart from some routine social media ping-ponging, nobody serious I know of had accused him of antisemitism. Now Paramount has done just that, in the face of his sustained attacks on David Ellison and the upcoming Paramount merger.”
What sparked the Mark Ruffalo controversy?
The controversy began after Ruffalo criticised the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger in an Instagram post and linked Oracle's business ties to Israel's war in Gaza. He used the terms “genocide” and “apartheid”, following which Paramount described his rhetoric as antisemitic. Ruffalo has denied the allegation and said criticism of political leaders, military technology contracts or corporate executives should not be equated with hostility towards Jewish people.
Several groups condemned Ruffalo's remarks, while Jane Fonda and Hannah Einbinder were among those who publicly defended him. Lonergan has now joined that group, calling on the Simon Wiesenthal Center to review Ruffalo's comments and clarify where it detected antisemitism.
Paramount later responded to Lonergan's letter, saying Safra Catz's comments about Oracle's “profoundly scary technologies” referred to technology intended to help rescue hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
