Jeremy Renner Fights Back: Denies Harassment Claims as ‘Totally Inaccurate’

Jeremy Renner has refuted claims of harassment made against him by filmmaker Yi Zhou, who alleges that the actor shared with her “private and intimate images of himself” and behaved in a manner once that led her to barricade herself in a room.

“A representative for Renner stated to The Bangin Beats that “the accusations are completely baseless and false.”

Zhou, age 37, initially made these accusations against Renner on a Monday through several Instagram posts, using hashtags like “#Cancel” and “#CancelJeremyRenner.” Zhou asserts that her relationship with Renner began after he initiated contact in June, sending her “a series of unrequested explicit images of himself via DM and Whatsapp” and then “charmed” her by “loving me so much I trusted in him/the power of love.” She further claims that she has been targeted and “torn down by a set-up of smear fan campaigns.”

In another of her posts, Zhou described the ordeal as “a revelation of the darker aspects of Hollywood and a smear campaign to intimidate women, particularly Asian female filmmakers and women in general.” She expressed shock but also gratitude for the support from friends and the media who continue to expose domestic abuse, the mistreatment of women, and the issue of unsolicited explicit content targeted at young women.

In a discussion with the Daily Mail on Thursday, Zhou elaborated on her claims. She recounted an incident on the night of August 20, where she met with Renner to talk about a documentary project. According to Zhou, Renner drank a bottle of wine and later became aggressive, a behavior she texted about to someone else that evening. Out of fear, she ended up locking herself in a room.

Before these allegations surfaced, Zhou and Renner were collaborating on various projects. Zhou is directing “Chronicles of Disney,” a documentary exploring the history and impact of the studio, featuring Renner and other artists such as costume designer Mark Bridges and makeup artist Bill Corso. This film is not produced by Disney itself.

Renner is also rumored to be involved as a voice actor in Zhou’s upcoming animated feature “Stardust Future: Stars and Scars,” reportedly the first to be fully created by artificial intelligence. According to The Bangin Beats, this film aims for a November theatrical release to qualify for awards, with some proceeds planned to go to Renner’s charity, the Rennervation Foundation.

Renner’s lawyer, Marty Singer, issued a cease and desist letter to Zhou on Friday, November 7, demanding she halt her defamatory remarks about Renner and threatening legal action if she does not comply.

The letter details a “short consensual encounter” between Renner and Zhou in July, following an interview for her documentary in Reno, Nevada. It also claims Zhou pursued Renner aggressively for a “sexual/romantic/sexting relationship” via social media, being flirtatious and making physical advances post-interview.

At a subsequent meeting in August, intended for additional film footage, Renner declined her advances and clarified his disinterest in a relationship, the letter explains. Since then, Zhou reportedly sent Renner numerous messages, including demands for sex and expressing extreme jealousy about his interactions with fans at ComicCon.

The letter further states that aside from the Disney documentary interview, Renner has not agreed to participate in any of Zhou’s other projects, including the AI animated feature.

The letter warns, “If you continue to use my client’s name, voice, and likeness for any project other than the Disney documentary without his consent, you will face legal action.”

Despite these warnings, Zhou has continued to post on Instagram, including a supposed agreement for Renner’s involvement in a documentary titled “Masters of Cinema 2: Chronicles of Disney.”

Updated with details from Singer’s cease and desist letter and Zhou’s continued responses.