George Clooney 'Supports Mark Ruffalo’s Ability to Speak Freely' Despite 'Ridiculous' Antisemitic Claims Amid Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Drama

George Clooney is standing up for Mark Ruffalo following the Marvel actor's recent statements regarding the controversial Paramount-Warner Bros. deal.

“I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely,” the Oscar winner, 65, said during a press conference at Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, September 2.

The Ocean's Eleven alum noted the backlash surrounding Ruffalo, 58, was “ridiculous,” also adding: “We’re not going to ban speech. I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That’s important. In fact, it’s part of how democracy works.”

Clooney then called the studio consolidation “a complicated thing," admitting he "doesn’t know how it works out" before discussing the monetary ramifications of the potential merger.

“I don’t see how the merger financially ends up making sense for the people who are trying to do it. We’ll see. I worry when a big company swallows up another company,” he continued. “I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it means a lot of people are going to lose their jobs.”

Paramount Skydance has been attempting to merge with Warner Bros. for $111 billion since February. Ruffalo previously spoke out against the acquisition, with Paramount CEO David Ellison accusing the Avengers star of "antisemitic tropes."

Ruffalo also bashed the deal over its possible consequences for Tinseltown and accused the Ellison family of being involved in the “genocide” against Palestinians.

“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” the mass media conglomerate said in a statement last month. “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."

“We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias," they added.

Ruffalo addressed his past remarks on X on August 22, slamming the claim he was "antisemitic" and calling the allegation "appalling and fundamentally dishonest."

He noted that "criticizing the actions" of film executives "is not the same as criticizing Jewish people," adding his "views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect."

"Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life," he stated. "This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country."