Jeremy Renner made headlines in November 2025 when filmmaker Yi Zhou accused the 54-year-old actor of sending her unsolicited sexual direct messages and threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on her. Renner adamantly denied Zhou’s allegations and responded with a cease-and-desist letter, accusing the director of sending him multiple explicit messages. Below, Hollywood Life has compiled the full story so far between Renner and Zhou.
**Who Is Yi Zhou?**
Yi Zhou is a 37-year-old Chinese director, writer, producer, and model. She is best known for her documentary *Between Stars and Scars: Masters of Cinema*. A graduate of the London School of Economics, Zhou has been active in the film and performing arts industry for nearly 20 years.
As a model, Zhou has appeared in campaigns for Vogue, Uomo Vogue, and Elle. She was also featured on the cover of *Vogue China Beauty* among other international publications. Beyond her creative work, Zhou has explored entrepreneurial ventures, launching her lifestyle and fashion brand, Global Intuition, in 2019. She also founded entertainment companies, including Into the Sun in both the U.S. and Italy.
**What Did Jeremy Renner Allegedly Do?**
Zhou accused Renner of sending her sexual direct messages and WhatsApp communications over the summer of 2025. According to several outlets, Zhou claimed in a series of social media posts that Renner told her he was “open to a long-term relationship.”
“I believed in him, in the power of love and in the possibility of redemption,” Zhou wrote. She added that when she called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave respectfully toward her as a woman and filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on her.
Renner, however, vehemently denied the accusations. After Zhou went public with her claims in November 2025, Renner sent her a cease-and-desist letter, according to TMZ. His attorney, Marty Singer, stated that Zhou had come onto Renner and that when she allegedly tried to make another advance in August 2025, Renner made sure she stayed in the guest room. Singer also alleged that Zhou sent Renner explicit sexual messages.
Renner further threatened legal action against Zhou.
**Were Jeremy Renner and Yi Zhou in a Relationship?**
Renner claimed that he and Zhou had a “brief consensual encounter.” He said he rejected Zhou’s advances in August 2025, about a month after they first met to discuss her documentary *Chronicles of Disney*.
**Who Is Jeremy Renner’s Ex-Wife?**
Renner’s ex-wife is Canadian actress Sonni Pacheco. The former couple share a daughter named Ava. Renner and Pacheco were married from 2014 to 2015.
**Sonni Pacheco’s Allegations Against Jeremy Renner**
Following their divorce, Renner and Pacheco initially agreed to joint custody of their daughter, Ava. However, four years later, Pacheco filed a request for physical custody and asked for monitored visitation whenever Renner had their daughter, according to multiple outlets.
Pacheco also accused Renner of several alarming behaviors, including allegedly threatening to end his life by putting a gun in his mouth and aiming it toward the ceiling, as reported by TMZ.
Renner denied these allegations. A representative for the MCU star told TMZ that “the well-being of his daughter, Ava, has always been and continues to be the primary focus for Jeremy. This is a matter for the court to decide. It’s important to note the dramatizations made in Sonni’s declaration are a one-sided account made with a specific goal in mind.”
https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/what-did-jeremy-renner-do-yi-zhou-accusations-5484466/