George Clooney Defends Mark Ruffalo, Says He Is ‘Ashamed’ of Trump Administration Actions
September 4, 2026
Speaking at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, actor and director George Clooney came to the defense of Mark Ruffalo after Paramount weaponized accusations of “antisemitism” against him for calling out the Ellison family’s direct financial and military ties to Israel.
Ruffalo sparked corporate backlash by opposing Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros., highlighting how Paramount board member Safra Catz and Oracle founder Larry Ellison supply military technology contracts to the Israeli state amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. When Paramount executives attacked Ruffalo, Clooney fired back, stating: “I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely… It’s ridiculous. We’re not going to ban speech”.
Resisting corporate media consolidation and standing up to political intimidation are necessary steps to end complicity in global war crimes.
STAND FOR FREE SPEECH AND JUSTICE. STAND WITH MARK RUFFALO. ✊🇵🇸
Press Coverage via @deadline & @arabnews
#GeorgeClooney #MarkRuffalo #FreePalestine #StopArmingIsrael #fyp
English Script:
George Clooney: I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely. I think that that’s ridiculous. And we’re not going to ban speech. But, you know, I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That’s important. In fact, it’s part of how our democracy works. There is going to be people tonight in the room that are going to disagree with most everything I say or stand for it. Fair enough. That’s how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to argue these things out and come to a conclusion based on the information that we take it. So I will always support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely. I like him, he’s a good man. some other difficult times, but this is one of them. There’s a great word. Kakistautocracy, which is a country run by the least qualified people. I think maybe we have a Kakistautocracy right now, but we’ll get through it. We will have an election in November that should be a check and balance. And then, in 2028, with any luck, we’ll have some restoration. You know, the idea, the cruelty is the base, that being cruel and unkind is part of the fun of all of this. You see what the Secretary of defense just tweeted out a picture about women in the military in Canada and you’re going, what’s wrong with you? Where’s the sense of decency in all of this? And I’m ashamed of all of that. But we will get through it, and we will come out better on the other
