Back in September, over 1,200 Hollywood celebrities pledged to boycott Israeli production companies, citing the alleged (read: nonexistent) "apartheid and genocide" in the Jewish state. The list of celebs includes Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Tilda Swinton, and Javier Bardem.
Now, studio Paramount, parent company of CBS, is pushing back under new studio head David Ellison, and it appears the celebrities who signed the Israeli boycott list are blacklisted from Paramount productions.
Paramount Has Blacklisted Stars Deemed “Overtly Antisemitic” and won’t work with them.
— Iris (@streetwize) November 5, 2025
It sure looks like the likes of Javier Bardem, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Mark Ruffalo won’t be making movies for Paramount in the foreseeable future.
Under the newly appointed head… pic.twitter.com/DA79Ykbdhj
The entire post reads:
Under the newly appointed head David Ellison, Paramount has made it clear that it won’t do business as usual in Hollywood any longer. They’re trying to reconfigure the landscape — and it’s already taking a toll.
@Variety gives insight into what’s coming at Paramount. As you know, Paramount executives have been outspoken about their stance on the conflict in Gaza. This past September, the company became the first major Hollywood studio to publicly reject a high-profile letter — signed by stars including Stone and Bardem — that urged a cultural boycott of Israeli film institutions accused of engaging in “genocide and apartheid” against Palestinians. Warner Bros. later took the same position. Sources tell Variety that it has gone as far as Paramount creating a sort of blacklist of talent the studio will not work with because they are deemed to be “overtly antisemitic,” as well as “xenophobic” and “homophobic.”
Here's more from KOMO News:
Amid A-list celebrities' accusations that Israel is committing "genocide and apartheid" in Gaza, Paramount has reportedly created a "blacklist" of actors and actresses, determined to be "overly antisemitic," "xenophobic," or "homophobic."
Sources familiar with the alleged list shared this information with Variety. The report comes as David Ellison was selected to head Paramount in August after Paramount's parent company Paramount Global solidified its acquisition of SkyDance. Ellison's father is Larry Ellison, who is the co-founder of Oracle. The Ellison's are considered to be close friends with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When the Israeli boycott letter was released, Paramount condemned it. In a statement from Paramount's chief communications officer, Melissa Zukerman, the studio said, "At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission."
Paramount recently merged with Skydance, and the company is focused on reducing costs. That's led to staffing cuts at places like CBS News, which have been described as a "bloodbath."
For the second quarter of 2025, earnings beat expectations, but quarter one earnings lagged and grew by only 0.5 percent year-over-year. Quarter three earnings will be released on November 10.
Earlier today, we told you that actress Jennifer Lawrence (who was not one of the signatories on the Israeli boycott letter) realized that Republicans watch movies, too. This is likely the standard under which Paramount is operating, too, and they want to avoid entering into a hot-button issue that will alienate at least half of its potential viewing audience.