Filmmaker Yi Zhou, a former filmmaking partner of MCU star Jeremy Renner, has leveled serious accusations of misconduct against the actor, alleging he threatened to contact immigration authorities after a confrontation regarding his behavior. Zhou detailed a series of incidents in Instagram posts and interviews, claiming Renner initiated their interaction by sending a string of "unsolicited pornographic images of himself" and a similar video via WhatsApp and direct message as an introduction in June 2025.

Despite this unusual introduction, Zhou and Renner began dating and collaborating on projects. Zhou recounted incidents of violent behavior from Renner that led her to fear for her life. One notable incident occurred during a meeting at Renner's home in Reno, Nevada, while discussing logistics for their unofficial documentary, Chronicles of Disney. Zhou alleged that Renner consumed a bottle of wine alone, subsequently becoming enraged and yelling for two hours. She claimed she had to lock herself in a room for safety, praying he would not enter, as she was deeply scared for her life. Zhou also shared alleged screenshots of texts sent to Disney colleagues that night, seeking help.

Zhou further accused Renner of orchestrating a "smear campaign" against her and her projects. She stated that Renner "refused to make any public promotion" for their collaborations, despite an alleged agreement with her Into the Sun Films banner for the use of his image, likeness, archival material, social-media content, and his foundation. Instead, she claims he allowed "false information to spread through fan accounts falsely claiming that the documentary was generated by AI and denying any personal relation or professional collaboration."

The allegations culminated in a private confrontation where Zhou claims Renner threatened her with immigration authorities. She recounted, "When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me, an act that deeply shocked and frightened me. Such behavior is unacceptable and emblematic of the imbalance of power that continues to harm women in our industry." Zhou also provided alleged text exchanges where, after she called him out for using "apps to send dick pix," Renner allegedly responded, "Immigration will be notified of your—."

In response to these allegations, a representative for Jeremy Renner stated, "The allegations being made are totally inaccurate and untrue." Renner and Zhou had previously collaborated on Chronicles of Disney, a documentary about the legacy of Disney, in which Renner was interviewed. Renner also provided narration for Zhou's AI-animated feature, Stardust Future: Stars and Scars, which aimed for a November awards-qualifying theatrical release with a portion of revenue to be donated to Renner’s Rennervation Foundation.

These are not the first accusations of abusive behavior against Jeremy Renner. In 2019, during a custody battle over their then-six-year-old daughter, Renner's ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco, accused him of drug use, neglecting to keep drugs away from their child, and threatening to kill both Pacheco and himself. Renner had previously dismissed Pacheco's allegations as "clickbait."

Yi Zhou concluded her series of posts by emphasizing her motivation: "I speak up today not only for myself but for every woman who might find herself in a similar situation still today, silenced, intimidated, or afraid to lose work/opportunities for telling the truth. If we don’t reveal what’s behind the curtain, can there ever truly be justice in this industry or in this world?"