Actor Jeremy Renner has found himself at the center of new controversy following allegations from filmmaker Yi Zhou. After days of online speculation and public statements, Renner has officially responded to the claims. The Mayor of Kingstown star addressed the situation through his legal team, who issued a firm denial of Zhou’s “misconduct” allegations.
Jeremy Renner refutes allegations from Yi Zhou
Jeremy Renner has denied allegations made by Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou. She claimed the actor sent her “unsolicited pornographic images” and later allegedly “threatened to call” immigration authorities on her.
In a statement to PEOPLE on November 7, Renner’s attorney Marty Singer described Zhou’s claims as “false, outrageous and highly defamatory.” The statement alleges that Zhou fabricated the story after Renner “rejected her romantic advances” and declined to promote her projects online.
According to Zhou, she and Renner collaborated on the documentary Chronicles of Disney and an animated film. In a series of Instagram posts, she alleged that Renner sent her explicit messages in June, and, when confronted, “threatened to call immigration/ICE” on her. Zhou further stated that she felt “frauded by love,” claiming the actor “forced himself on me the first day we met” and continued to send “obscene photos without consent.”
Renner’s legal team maintains that the two met twice, first in July at a Reno, Nevada hotel, where Singer said they had a “brief consensual encounter,” and again in August. Singer added that Zhou “had been relentlessly harassing and threatening my client,” sending “hundreds of unsolicited and unwanted messages.” The attorney also stated that Renner had not spoken to Zhou since October 24.
Zhou told PEOPLE she included Renner in her projects because she believed they were “in an evolving love relationship.” She alleged that when she asked him to “behave properly” and respect her as a filmmaker, he made the ICE threat.
Renner’s attorneys have issued a cease and desist letter to Zhou, demanding she stop “defamatory communications.” The letter also warned of potential legal action if she republishes “false, fabricated and salacious lies.”
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
