Paramount merger wins Mark Ruffalo’s support — plus a sassy swipe at Gavin Newsom
Ruffalo pulls off the impossible: turning Hollywood’s driest subject—a corporate deal—into entertainment with one razor-edged quip you’ll want to hear for yourself.
In a new post on X, Mark Ruffalo tied his long-running crusade against the proposed Paramount –Skydance merger to a separate fight over California’s billionaire tax, using both to blast Gov. Gavin Newsom. The actor argued the governor keeps siding with wealthy interests, saying working people will pay the price in Hollywood and beyond.
“Just like the Paramount Merger Gavin Newsom does what he always does. Sells out the working class people for the billionaires again and again,”
Ruffalo’s post accused Newsom of backing a move that would make taxing the ultra-wealthy harder — and he linked that complaint directly to consolidation in entertainment. He’s been one of the loudest voices warning that a Paramount–Skydance tie-up would lead to job losses and less creative freedom, and he’s folded those concerns into a broader critique of political decisions he says favor billionaires.
What he says is at stake
Ruffalo and other critics argue the combined company would be so large and debt-heavy that cost-cutting would trump creative risk. Figures cited by opponents peg the merged operation’s value around $110.9 billion with debt near $80 billion, and they warn the company would be under pressure to crank out at least 30 theatrical films annually — a pace they say could favor safe bets over new voices.
- Jobs — projected layoffs across studios and production could hit below-the-line crews hardest.
- Creative freedom — fewer buyers, fewer greenlights, more franchise churn.
- Bargaining power — with fewer independent outlets, creators and smaller producers could have weaker leverage.
- Debt pressure — an estimated $80 billion tab, critics say, would push executives toward cuts over experimentation.
- Theatrical output — a 30-films-a-year target Ruffalo has railed against as quantity over quality.
Ruffalo has broadened his case beyond Hollywood boardrooms by linking the merger fight to California’s tax debate, framing both as choices that help billionaires and squeeze workers. He made the comments on X.