Chinese Filmmaker: Renner Warned He'd Call ICE on Me

Yi Zhou claims actor also sent unwanted photos, had drunken outburst before relationship soured
Posted Nov 7, 2025 10:12 AM CST
Renner Accused of ICE Threat, Drunken Outburst by Filmmaker
Jeremy Renner is seen Oct. 21 in New York.   (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP)

Jeremy Renner is facing fresh allegations of misconduct from Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou, who claims the Hawkeye actor threatened to call immigration authorities on her and sent her "unsolicited" intimate photos. Zhou, who worked with Renner on the Chronicles of Disney documentary, aired the accusations in a series of Instagram posts this week, saying she felt "compelled to share a truth I have been holding inside for too long," per the San Francisco Chronicle. According to Zhou, Renner, 54, first reached out to her personally in June, sending her "personal and intimate photographs of himself," a pattern she claims has been reported about him before.

"He convinced me of his sincerity, saying he had been single for a long time and open to a long-term relationship," the 30-something filmmaker wrote. "I believed in him, in the power of love, and in the possibility of redemption." She told the Daily Mail last month that their relationship turned into a romantic one. Their ties, however, reportedly soured after Zhou confronted Renner about past behavior, at which point she says he threatened to involve immigration authorities with ICE—an act Zhou said "deeply shocked and frightened me," per her Instagram. Zhou also told the Mail that Renner became drunk and violent during an August meeting about one of their films, leaving her so frightened she locked herself in a room.

Renner hasn't responded to the latest allegations, but his history includes past accusations of abusive behavior from his ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco, though earlier this year he dismissed such claims as "clickbait" that "dehumanizes people." Zhou says in her posts that no creative professional should have to work under such "emotional and psychological pressure." She has shared screenshots of alleged conversations with Renner and messages from concerned friends to support her claims.

Read These Next
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X