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Ruffalo Urges California AG to Reject Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Settlement
Confirmed
In Short: Actor Mark Ruffalo is calling on California Attorney General Rob Bonta to reject a potential settlement deal over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Actor Mark Ruffalo has urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta not to settle the antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, after reports emerged that the two sides are nearing a deal.
Ruffalo directed his followers to the website for No Paramount Concessions, which features a petition calling on the 12 states suing Paramount-Skydance to “hold the line” and block the merger.
In a message posted to social media, Ruffalo wrote, “Do not cave,” tagging Bonta and linking to the petition.
Ruffalo has been one of the entertainment industry’s most visible critics of Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. He testified against the deal at a Senate hearing and signed an open letter alongside other actors objecting to the merger.
Bonta previously said he’s open to reaching an out-of-court settlement but has called on Paramount to offer structural remedies, such as divestments, rather than behavioral remedies like its pledge to release 30 films in theaters per year.
The deal was put on hold when Bonta and other state attorneys general filed the antitrust lawsuit against the merger.
Ruffalo’s comments have sparked warring industry petitions, with some criticizing and others supporting the actor.
In August, Ruffalo posted on Instagram about Oracle's ties to the Israeli military, sharing a clip of former Oracle chief executive Safra Catz addressing the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024.
Paramount responded to Ruffalo's comments, calling them “antisemitic.” Ruffalo rejected the characterization on X, arguing that the use of words like 'genocide' and 'apartheid' in a corporate transaction is inappropriate.
Ruffalo urged people to sign a message addressed to the attorneys general and Paramount, calling on them to reject the proposed deal and argued that it does not reflect what the public wants.
Elizabeth Warren also spoke out against a possible settlement, connecting the merger debate to the Trump administration's decision to restrict CNN's access to the White House.
What this adds
Ruffalo's opposition to the merger has been ongoing for months, with his latest call for action coming after reports of advanced talks between Paramount and Bonta.
The FCC has allowed foreign investors to hold up to 49.5% of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery company, adding another layer of complexity to the merger debate.
Background
Actor Mark Ruffalo is urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta not to cave on a potential settlement deal over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The FCC has allowed foreign investors to hold up to 49.5% of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery company.
Warner Bros. is a brand name that has been used by several multinational mass media and entertainment companies and corporations, mostly based in the United States, with attributions to Warner Bros. Pictures, a major American film studio founded on April 4, 1923, and the original namesake.
What's confirmed
- Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo is not the one to back down, and he has urged the California attorney general Rob Bonta and his coalition of 11 other state AGs to do the same.
- The actor recently took to his X, formerly Twitter, and asked Rob and his coalition of AGs not to settle their lawsuit against Paramount Skydance and keep David Ellison from acquiring Warner Bros.
- Can you show up outside his AG office in Oakland tomorrow at 5pm to reject this backroom deal?
- Actor Mark Ruffalo has urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state AGs not to settle their antitrust lawsuit against Paramount Skydance over its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
What's still developing
- "There is no debate here: This merger will snuff out competition, drive up prices, diminish content quality, and produce fewer movies and shows each year," Bonta said at a press conference announcing the suit.
- Ruffalo has publicly opposed the merger for months.
- Ruffalo described the situation in Gaza as a "genocide" built on what he called an "apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle." A Paramount spokesperson responded to Ruffalo's comments, calling them "antisemitic." "We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute," the statement read in part.
- "Words like 'genocide' and 'apartheid,' applied to a corporate transaction, aren't just wrong, they're a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe." Ruffalo rejected the characterization on X.
- 5,670 filmmakers put their necks on the line for you to fight this merger.
- The Department of Justice approved Paramount Skydance’s deal to acquire Warner Bros.
- On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that both parties are in ‘advanced talks’ and may reach an agreement, to which Ruffalo responded quickly in a post on X on Saturday: “Don’t you dare, [Rob Bonta], do not cave.” Mark continued to pressure California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general not to bend.
- Ruffalo and other supporters believe the merger could have a major effect on Hollywood and the creative industry.
Sources
- Telangana Todaylink
- Thewraplink
- Times of Indialink
- Turkiyetodaylink
- primetimer.comlink
- WarpBeat — background on Mark Ruffalo Urges California AG Not to Cave on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger link
- WarpBeat — background on FCC Approves Foreign Ownership in Paramount-Warner Bros Merger link
- Wikipedia — background on Warner Bros. link