Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou alleges the actor sent pornographic images and later threatened to involve immigration authorities; Renner’s attorney calls the claims false and defamatory.
LOS ANGELES — Jeremy Renner on Friday denied allegations from filmmaker Yi Zhou that he sent her explicit images and later threatened to “call ICE” amid a dispute tied to projects they discussed this year. Zhou posted screenshots and a lengthy statement on social media this week, while Renner responded through a representative and his attorney, disputing her account and accusing her of harassment.
At issue are dueling narratives about a brief personal and professional relationship that unfolded over the summer and reignited publicly in early November. Zhou, a 37-year-old Chinese filmmaker, says Renner first contacted her with intimate photos in June and pursued both a romance and work on her documentary and an animated feature. Renner, 54, rejects that characterization, saying they met twice, shared one consensual encounter, and that he later received a stream of unwanted messages from Zhou. The dispute surfaced Monday in Zhou’s Instagram posts and escalated through Friday as entertainment outlets published statements from both sides.
According to Zhou, the pair met in person during an on-camera interview in Reno, Nev., in midsummer for her documentary “Chronicles of Disney.” She says a second meeting occurred in August, after weeks of messages that included explicit images and videos sent by Renner via WhatsApp. Zhou alleges tensions rose during a Reno visit when Renner drank heavily and yelled for hours, prompting her to lock herself in a room. She says the relationship unraveled as she pressed for “respectful behavior” and clearer boundaries. In posts shared Monday, Zhou wrote that she felt “scared for my life” during one confrontation and later decided to go public, sharing screenshots of chats and describing the experience as “survival against domestic aggression,” language she used in text exchanges with colleagues. She also asserted that Renner later denied knowing her, personally or professionally, after prior praise for their collaboration.
Renner’s representatives flatly deny those claims. Publicist statements issued this week called Zhou’s allegations “totally inaccurate and untrue.” In a separate response, attorney Marty Singer said the accusations were “false, outrageous and highly defamatory,” asserting that Renner met Zhou only twice, once for the Reno interview and again in August, and that any intimate encounter was consensual and brief. Singer said Renner did not send unsolicited explicit content, did not threaten to call immigration authorities and has been subjected to months of unwanted, sexually explicit messages from Zhou, the last arriving in late October. The actor’s side contends Zhou became upset when Renner declined to promote her projects on his social media and that she has been “harassing” him since.
Evidence publicly available so far consists primarily of screenshots and photos Zhou posted to Instagram and shared with select media. Those images appear to show WhatsApp exchanges and explicit content sent to her account; the authenticity of those materials has not been independently verified. Zhou says she holds additional photos and videos. She also points to agreements or discussions connected to “Chronicles of Disney” and an AI-animated feature titled “Stardust Future.” Renner’s team disputes any formal partnership and characterizes their interactions as limited. As of Friday evening, no police report or court filing related to these allegations had surfaced, and neither side has presented a full set of message logs for outside review. That leaves key details — including the timing and extent of any messages and the context of alleged threats — in dispute.
Renner, a two-time Oscar nominee known for “The Hurt Locker,” Marvel’s “Hawkeye” and the TV drama “Mayor of Kingstown,” has been rebuilding his public profile after a near-fatal snowplow accident on Jan. 1, 2023. In interviews this year, he described the period as a reset and a return to work. Zhou, who has directed fashion and art films and has a social media following across multiple platforms, has been promoting her documentary and the animated feature throughout 2025. She has posted photos and clips that show earlier friendly exchanges with Renner over the summer. The resurfacing of past family-court allegations against Renner — which he has previously denied — has added context but not direct evidence to this week’s dispute.
Legal and procedural steps remained unclear Friday. Zhou has not announced a police complaint or a civil filing connected to her claims, and media outlets reported no active law enforcement investigation. Singer said Renner reserves all legal rights in response to what he calls defamatory statements and harassment. Any formal action could require authentication of message metadata, device records, and travel details around the Reno meetings. If a case is filed, early milestones would include preservation letters for phones and cloud backups, potential subpoenas to messaging platforms for logs, and interviews with colleagues Zhou messaged during the August dispute. Absent filings, the back-and-forth is playing out in public statements and posts rather than in court.
Scenes described by Zhou, particularly the Reno visit, have been central to her account. She says Renner became “aggressively intoxicated,” yelled for hours, and left her frightened enough to isolate herself in a room and text others for help. Colleagues she referenced in those texts have not been publicly identified. Renner has not addressed those scene details other than to deny misconduct broadly and to reject the ICE-threat allegation specifically. Outside the public statements, neither side has released travel logs, hotel records or third-party confirmations that could support or contradict the descriptions. For now, the emerging picture is of a short-lived personal encounter complicated by professional expectations and amplified by the pair’s public platforms.
As of Friday night, Renner’s camp continued to push back on Zhou’s posts, and entertainment news outlets were seeking additional comment from both parties. No hearing or press conference was scheduled. If either side files a complaint next week, a clearer record could begin to take shape through sworn statements and exhibits. Until then, the status of the messages, the scope of any partnership, and the allegation of an immigration threat remain contested, with both sides asserting they have the evidence to support their version of events.