Jeremy Renner fires back at Chinese filmmaker after she claimed he sent sexual images and threatened ICE

Okay, so this is really upsetting, but apparently Jeremy Renner is saying all those claims Yi Zhou made are completely false! And get this – he’s not just denying them, he’s actually threatening to sue! I’m honestly shocked – I’ve always been such a huge Renner fan, but this whole situation is just… a mess. I just want the truth to come out, and I’m really hoping Jeremy’s side of the story is the real one. It’s hard to believe someone would make up stuff like that about him!

Thirty-seven-year-old Zhou claims that Marvel actor Jeremy Renner, 54, sent her explicit photos and videos, hoping to begin a romantic relationship. The two had previously worked together on a documentary and an animated film.

According to an interview with the Daily Mail, Zhou alleges that Renner became verbally abusive while intoxicated, frightening her. She also claims he threatened to report her to immigration authorities after a disagreement.

She told the Daily Mail she had to lock herself in a room to feel safe, fearing his anger would lead him to come in at night. She was terrified and didn’t say anything, as she feared for her life.

On Monday, she shared her claims on Instagram, stating she had been living in fear for her safety and experiencing significant emotional distress.

Jeremy Renner is now disputing the allegations made by Zhou, and his lawyer, Marty Singer, has sent a legal notice demanding a retraction and threatening a lawsuit, according to TMZ.

The letter states that Jeremy Renner agreed to be in Zhou’s documentary, Chronicles of Disney, but their first meeting in July became awkward when Zhou allegedly made unwanted advances towards him.

Renner maintains there was a ‘brief consensual encounter’, per the letter. 

He states that in August, he told her he didn’t want to continue any sexual relationship.

During a subsequent meeting, he placed Zhou in a guest bedroom to avoid any additional intimacy. 

He also alleges that Zhou persistently contacted him, sending numerous sexually explicit texts and repeatedly asking for physical intimacy, even during a car ride to the airport following their work together.

The actor maintains that after their first meeting, their connection was always just business.

He claims Zhou threatened to damage his reputation if he didn’t promote her film and falsely suggest they were in a relationship.

The letter threatens Zhou with legal action, potentially costing her millions of dollars, if she continues to share what they claim are untrue and damaging statements.

On Friday, Singer dismissed Zhou’s accusations as untrue, shocking, and damaging to their reputation.

Singer also claimed that Zhou was upset because Renner hadn’t responded to her romantic feelings and hadn’t shared her work on social media.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Zhou stated that Renner became intoxicated during a meeting at his house regarding their movie, and reportedly shouted for two hours. She said she was frightened and hid in the bathroom during the incident.

Zhou said they were talking about the arrangements for the document when the person suddenly drank a whole bottle of wine by themselves, became very upset, and spent two hours shouting.

I shared my location with my team, my parents, and coworkers at Disney so they would know where to find me if something went wrong.

Messages reportedly exchanged with her Disney coworkers during the incident reveal Zhou described Renner as ‘violent,’ but she also responded ‘yes I should be ok’ when asked if she felt safe remaining nearby.

The filmmaker provided copies of text messages she exchanged with coworkers on August 20th, detailing what she claims was an angry, alcohol-fueled outburst by Renner.

‘Can you lock yourself in the bathroom? He sounds crazy,’ one co-worker wrote.

‘I did lock hope he can’t open,’ Zhou replied. ‘I m [so] worried he yelled for 2 hours with one bottle of wine down alone.’

In recent Instagram posts, Zhou stated she had been living in fear for her safety and experiencing significant emotional distress.

She wrote that it was with great sadness and regret that she finally had to share something she’d kept hidden for a long time.

No artist or creator should have to face emotional distress and psychological pressure while defending their reputation and the quality of their work.

She accused the Hurt Locker actor of ‘misconduct’ in the post.

In June, Mr. Renner reached out to me and sent personal photos of himself, which, according to reports, he’s done previously.

Zhou shared a photo of a man’s bare chest on her Instagram, and she told the Daily Mail that actor Jeremy Renner had sent it to her without her asking.

‘I have a collection of those photos and the porn gifs that he sent,’ she said.

Zhou provided the Daily Mail with a screenshot of a brief pornographic video that Renner allegedly sent her via WhatsApp in June. The video showed explicit sexual activity, and Renner reportedly included a drooling emoji with the message, ‘This ok???’

She shared that he seemed genuine, telling her he hadn’t been in a relationship for a while and was looking for something serious. She explained she wanted to believe in him, in love, and that people could change.

Zhou told the Daily Mail that Renner made unwanted sexual advances toward her, they later worked together professionally, and then he publicly denied ever having a relationship with her.

He was the one who contacted me, not the other way around,” she explained. “I hadn’t even heard of him, let alone seen any of his films.

‘He used me and denied me and denied our work.’

Okay, so everyone was obsessed with whether Zhou and Renner were a thing, and honestly, I was right there with them! It all started when she posted these videos on Instagram in September – she was riding with him in his convertible, and it looked SO cozy! They were driving around near his place in Reno, Nevada, and I just knew something was happening. I’ve been following her account ever since, trying to find clues!

Last month she told the Daily Mail that she had been dating the actor. 

Zhou criticized him on Instagram Monday, saying he didn’t publicly support two projects they collaborated on: a documentary about Disney employees called Chronicles of Disney, where he was featured, and the animated film Stardust Future, for which he provided voice acting.

I was so upset when I finally confronted him privately about how he’d behaved in the past. I just asked him to treat me with respect – as a woman, and as someone who puts her heart and soul into her films. But can you believe he threatened to call immigration on me? I was completely shocked and honestly, terrified. It was awful.

The Daily Mail published a screenshot of what they claim are WhatsApp messages between a woman named Zhou and actor Jeremy Renner. In the messages, she reportedly called him offensive names and accused him of sending explicit photos through apps, adding that no one had spoken up about it yet.

Renner responded: ‘Immigration will be notified of your-‘ with the rest of the message cut off.

Zhou refused to provide the Daily Mail with the rest of Renner’s alleged text.

The filmmaker explained in her Instagram post that this behavior is unacceptable and represents the ongoing power imbalance that negatively affects women in the film industry.

These false claims and attempts to scare people have not only hurt my personal and professional reputation, but they’ve also damaged the hard work and trustworthiness of everyone who helped make this film.

She concluded her series of posts by saying it had taken her a long time to find the courage to share her story.

I’m grateful to my team, my representatives, and the friends – especially the women – who helped me express the lingering pain and embarrassment I feel as I write this.

Representatives for Renner have not responded to the Daily Mail.  

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2025-11-08 20:35