Streaming & Cinema New Releases
Jane Fonda steps in to defend Mark Ruffalo from Paramount "smears" (Avclub)
Summary: Mark Ruffalo’s social media post linking Oracle’s business with Paramount’s Warner Bros. merger and Israel’s conduct in Gaza drew a sharp rebuke from Paramount, which accused him of antisemitic tropes. Jane Fonda has now stepped in via her free-speech group, The 1A Committee, defending Ruffalo and calling Paramount’s accusation a smear meant to delegitimize criticism of the merger. The statement, co-signed by Jewish producer Bruce Cohen, argues that false antisemitism charges are being used to silence legitimate political criticism.
![Jane Fonda steps in to defend Mark Ruffalo from Paramount "smears"](https://img.pastemagazine.com/wp-content/avuploads/2025/10/01122117/92_TW_1199.jpg "Jane Fonda steps in to defend Mark Ruffalo from Paramount "smears"")
Why it matters: The dispute highlights how the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is becoming a flashpoint for political and free-speech debates, with prominent industry figures using their platforms to challenge corporate consolidation.
Context: Fonda and The 1A Committee have been vocal critics of the merger, and Fonda previously opposed Netflix’s attempt to buy the studio, calling such consolidation a threat to the entertainment industry and the First Amendment.
"Calling his criticism antisemitic is a smear to delegitimize criticism of the merger and to distract from the question Paramount would rather not answer: should one company be allowed to accumulate this much power over our movies, television and news?" — AVCLUB
Date: August 26, 2026 06:14 PM ET
URL: https://www.avclub.com/jane-fonda-defends-mark-ruffalo-paramount-smears
Generated Analysis Tone: Negative (75%)
Source Registry Score: 10.0/10 — High
Generated text and tone describe the analysis; the source registry score is not a factual truth rating.Post ID: e4a225da