Mark Ruffalo tore into California Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday after Paramount reached a settlement paving the way for its blockbuster $81 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Gavin Newsom hands huge win to Trump and his billionaire cronies,” the “Avengers” star wrote on X.
Ruffalo was responding to former FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, who blasted the latest development in the long-running Paramount saga.
“Today, billionaires have yet again bribed, censored, and bullied their way to the top,” Bedoya wrote. “As a result, a billionaire media conglomerate closely allied with the president will soon own one of its closest rivals, including some of the nation’s most critical news outlets.”
The broadside came after Paramount struck a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other states that had sued to block the Warner Bros. Discovery takeover on antitrust grounds.
Newsom had reportedly warned that California employment could suffer if the merger was blocked in court, while Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison specifically thanked the governor after the settlement was announced.
“Our goal has always been to build a stronger Hollywood – one with more stories told, greater choice for consumers and stronger competition,” Ellison said.
Under the settlement, Paramount pledged to spend an additional $1.5 billion on domestic production over five years and release at least 30 movies theatrically each year, rising to 32 after the first two years.
The deal also calls for independent editorial boards for CBS News and CNN and includes commitments aimed at increasing domestic film production.
Bonta stressed that the settlement did not amount to his endorsement of the merger.
“This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger. It is not a blessing of the broader merger,” he said Monday.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also said she remains opposed to consolidating two of Hollywood’s biggest studios but argued the focus must now turn to protecting local workers.
“I do not want to see two of Hollywood’s largest studios consolidated under one company, but now we must focus on holding the companies accountable to these commitments to keep productions on L.A. stages, crews on sets, and ensure paychecks for hardworking Angelenos,” Bass said.
Bass said the court-enforceable settlement includes commitments to local production, existing collective bargaining agreements and workforce training after months of uncertainty over the merger.
“I will continue bringing labor, industry, and government together, using every tool we have to protect L.A. jobs and keep film and television production in Los Angeles,” she added.
SAG-AFTRA also issued a statement on social media, writing: “We will continue to approach our relationship with Paramount with professionalism and the intention to work well together. We hope that the process of engaging with the attorneys general has impressed upon them the fact that in addition to collective bargaining, our members rely on the law to help protect our interests. These are the lowest standards that our employers must meet.”
The merger would bring HBO Max, Paramount+, HBO, CBS, CNN and thousands of movie titles under one company led by Ellison, the son of Oracle billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison.
President Trump’s Department of Justice greenlit the deal in June before Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general sued the following month to stop it.
Paramount’s settlement with the states removes a major obstacle to completing the mammoth merger.
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