Mark Ruffalo Urges California AG Rob Bonta Not to Settle Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Lawsuit as Pressure Mounts

Actor Mark Ruffalo is publicly turning up the heat on California Attorney General Rob Bonta, strongly urging him and a coalition of state attorneys general to stand firm and refuse a settlement in their ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Paramount Skydance. The high-stakes legal battle seeks to block media executive David Ellison and Paramount Skydance from acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery in a massive corporate consolidation that has deeply divided Hollywood, lawmakers, and antitrust advocates alike.

Taking to social media platform X, Ruffalo delivered an impassioned plea directly to the California official, warning him against backing down amid reports of ongoing negotiations.

“Don’t you dare, Rob Bonta, do not cave,” Ruffalo wrote in his public post. “5,670 filmmakers put their necks on the line for you to fight this merger. Another 75,000+ and counting have signed to tell you not to concede in just 3 weeks. You work for the people — the very people who will be hurt if you let this lousy deal filled with empty promises go forward. Please sign to send a message to the AGs and Paramount. Reject the deal. The people don’t want it!”

Ruffalo has quickly emerged as one of the entertainment industry’s most vocal and prominent critics of the proposed corporate takeover. His aggressive opposition to the transaction has occasionally sparked intense public clashes. Recently, the prominent actor found himself embroiled in a tense back-and-forth with representatives for Paramount after he publicly criticized the Ellison family’s financial and political ties to Israel, prompting a studio representative to publicly label the actor’s statements as antisemitic. Despite the fierce corporate pushback, Ruffalo has continued to rally creative professionals and concerned citizens against the merger.

The controversial $111 billion transaction between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery initially cleared a significant federal hurdle in June when it received approval from the Department of Justice. However, the path to completion was abruptly halted when Bonta, leading a coalition of 11 other state attorneys general, filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the combination, arguing that it would severely harm media competition and concentrate too much power in the hands of a single corporate entity.

Despite the legal roadblock erected by the state enforcers, recent developments indicate that the situation may be shifting behind closed doors. According to a report published Friday by The Wall Street Journal, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter, Paramount Skydance and Bonta’s office have engaged in advanced discussions regarding a potential settlement to resolve the antitrust litigation. News of these high-level talks has alarmed opponents of the merger, who fear that the coalition might compromise rather than see the courtroom battle through to the end.

Ruffalo is far from the only prominent public figure calling on Bonta to hold his ground and reject any attempts at a compromise. Political figures have also entered the fray, warning of the broader democratic and economic implications of permitting the massive media consolidation to proceed unchecked.

On Saturday morning, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts took to social media to voice her strong opposition to a potential settlement, drawing a direct parallel between the media landscape and recent executive actions targeting news organizations. Warren pointed to recent moves by President Donald Trump—specifically the banning of CNN from White House access, alongside similar restrictions placed on MSNOW and Politico—as a stark warning of the dangers posed by powerful, concentrated media conglomerates.

“As Trump tries to ban CNN from the White House, it would be a massive mistake to cave on the Paramount merger,” Warren wrote in her public statement. “The last thing we need is another Trump-controlled media conglomerate abusing its power to stomp out competition. This is a dangerous merger.”

The convergence of high-profile Hollywood dissenters and senior federal lawmakers highlights the mounting political and public pressure surrounding Bonta and the coalition of state attorneys general. As discussions between the state enforcers and Paramount Skydance reportedly progress, the future of the sprawling $111 billion media deal—and the broader question of corporate consolidation in the American entertainment and news industries—remains heavily contested.