Hollywood’s most progressive stars could have trouble finding work soon if a rumored new antisemitism ‘blacklist’ is to be believed.
According to Variety, Paramount, under the new leadership of Trump-friendly billionaire heir David Ellison, is cracking down on actors who may be too political or problematic in their views.
The publication claims that stars deemed to be ‘overtly antisemitic’, ‘xenophobic’ and even ‘homophobic’ are all on a list of talent that they will not work with.
In September, Paramount became the first major studio to condemn an open-letter signed by A-listers that called for a boycott of Israeli film institutions implicated in ‘genocide and apartheid’ against Palestinians.
Some of the big names that signed the letter include Emma Stone, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Hannah Einbinder, Aimee Lou Wood, Peter Sarsgaard, Rooney Mara, and Oscar-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos.
Hollywood’s most progressive stars could have trouble finding work soon following rumors of an ‘antisemitism’ blacklist
It’s unclear if anybody who signed the letter made it onto Paramount’s blacklist or not. Paramount declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail.
Last November, Susan Sarandon claimed that she’d been blacklisted in Tinseltown over her support for Gaza and comments she made about Israel and Jewish people.
‘I was dropped by my agency, my projects were pulled,’ she told The Times.
‘I’ve been used as an example of what not to do if you want to continue to work.’
In 2023, shortly after the October 7 terrorist attacks from Hamas, Melissa Barrera was dropped from Scream 7 by production company Spyglass after criticizing Israel’s response to the attacks and voicing support for Palestinians in Gaza.
In a statement to Variety at the time, Spyglass said, ‘We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.’
David Ellison, the son of billionaire entrepreneur Larry Ellison, took over as the head of Paramount in August when the merger between his father’s company Skydance Media and Paramount Global was completed.
As part of the post-Ellison changes at Paramount, journalist Bari Weiss was named Editor-in-Chief at CBS News.
Last November, Susan Sarandon revealed that she’d been blacklisted in Tinseltown over her support for Gaza
Hannah Einbinder, who is Jewish, was one of the Hollywood stars to sign an open letter calling for a boycott of Israeli film institutions – a letter that Paramount condemned
Weiss is a self-professed zionist who has emerged as one of the biggest supporters of Israel through her media outlet The Free Press following the Oct 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Other changes at Paramount include producing more films that can appeal to middle America.
According to Variety, upcoming projects at Paramount include a new Top Gun sequel, a film based on the Call of Duty video game franchise, and a motocross thriller starring Timothée Chalamet.
In August, Ellison announced plans for Paramount to make up to 20 films-a-year – up from the 11 to 14 Paramount previously produced.
All of these releases will be theatrical, he said, emphasizing the importance of big screen productions over streaming.
Similarly, he refuses to use the studio’s streaming platform, Paramount+, as a landing page for low-budget B films, he said.
There are plans to shed any prior political connotations that may be tied to the company, after Paramount settled with President Trump for $16million after he sued 60 Minutes over their editing of a Kamala Harris interview.
Paramount, under the new leadership of Trump-friendly billionaire heir David Ellison, is cracking down on actors who have been deemed to be ‘antisemitic’
‘We’re an entertainment company first, and I genuinely believe if you’re breathing, you’re our audience,’ Ellison said at a press conference.
‘I don’t want to politicize this company,’ he continued.
‘We want to be in the business of speaking to everybody. One of our biggest priorities is actually restoring Paramount as the No. 1 destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world.
‘Very simply, great filmmakers make great movies.’
One of the newly installed co-chairs of Paramount Pictures, Dana Goldberg added that alongside Top Gun 3, moviegoers can expect a Star Trek sequel very soon.
The days-old company has already secure the U.S. streaming and television rights for the ever-popular UFC MMA promotion for $7.7 billion – almost the same sum it spent to acquire Paramount.
Fights will air on Paramount+ and CBS exclusively for the next seven years, the company said – months after Ellison was spotted at a UFC event in Miami with Trump in April.
Last month, Trump gushed about his friendship with both David and his billionaire father Larry – who is the world’s second richest man after Elon Musk.
‘Well, I tell you what, Larry Ellison is great, and his son David is great. They’re friends of mine. They’re big supporters of mine. And they’ll do the right thing,’ Trump said.
