Jeremy Renner’s filmmaking partner has accused the Marvel actor of threatening to “call ICE” on her after she confronted him about alleged misconduct.
Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou, 34, who told the Daily Mail she was dating Renner, 54, last month, also accused him of sending “unsolicited pornographic images of himself” in a series of Instagram posts Monday.
Zhou, who made a documentary and an animated movie with Renner this year, claimed the “Hawkeye” actor had introduced himself over direct message and WhatsApp with the “unwanted” photos in June 2025.
Fans speculated about a possible relationship between Jeremy Renner, 54, and Yi Zhou, 34, after she posted a video of the pair driving near his Reno home on Instagram in September. Theo Wargo/Getty Images 
Zhou said Renner “pursued” her by sending her unsolicited pornographic images. Frazer Harrison/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
She said they then began a romantic relationship, and she “invited” him to be part of her two films.
Zhou provided the Daily Mail with a screenshot of her alleged WhatsApp texts with Renner, including a short porn video clip Renner allegedly texted her in June.
The filmmaker told the Mail that Renner became so “angry” after getting drunk during a meeting about the documentary, Chronicles Of Disney, at his home in Reno, Nevada, that she feared for her life.
“I was discussing about the doc logistics, then he drank a bottle of wine alone and got angry and angry yelling for two hours,” Zhou said. “I had to lock myself in a room to be safe praying he would not come into the room at night as he was really angry. I did not say a word, I was so scared for my life.”
In alleged texts with her Disney colleagues during the August 20 meeting obtained by the Mail, Zhou called Renner “violent” and said she was “worried.” She replied, “I should be ok” when asked “Do you think you will be safe staying there?”
Zhou said she feared for her life when Renner allegedly got drunk during a meeting at his Nevada home on August 20. She shared screenshots of her alleged messages with her co-workers with the Daily Mail. Yi Zhou
“Can you lock yourself in the bathroom? He sounds crazy,” one co-worker texted.
“I did lock hope he can’t open,” Zhou replied. “I m [so] worried he yelled for 2 hours with one bottle of wine down alone.”
Yi Zhou told the Daily Mail that she locked herself in a room while Renner was allegedly “angry yelling for two hours.” Yi Zhou
According to the Mail, fans speculated about a possible relationship between Zhou and Renner after she shared a video of the pair driving near his Reno home on Instagram in September.
Zhou, who called Renner out in her Instagram post Monday for not promoting their films, told the Mail that Renner had “used” her before he denied their relationship.
“I did not reach out to him, he pursued me,” she said. “He used me and denied me and denied our work.”
In her Instagram posts, Zhou claimed that Renner threatened to call immigration after she confronted him over his behavior.
“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,” she wrote.
Zhou provided the Mail with alleged WhatsApp messages between her and Renner, in which she accused him of using “all apps to send d— pix” and wrote, “No one said anything—so far.”
Zhou refused to provide the rest of Renner’s alleged text, according to the Daily Mail. The Daily Beast recreated the alleged text messages, which were provided to the Daily Mail by Zhou. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast
Renner responded, “Immigration will be notified of your—.” Zhou refused to provide the rest of Renner’s alleged text, according to the Mail.
Zhou characterized her claims as the “unsaid truth about Hollywood and the conditions about how women and Asian filmmakers and filmmakers overall are still being mistreated,” in her Instagram post.
The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Renner for comment. Representatives did not respond to questions from the Daily Mail.
According to court documents, Renner’s ex-wife Sonny Pacheco accused Renner of dangerous drug use and threatening to kill her and himself during a messy custody battle in 2019. Weiss Eubanks/Getty Images
Renner, who narrowly survived a 2023 snowplow accident that left him hospitalized for months with chest trauma and nearly 40 broken bones, was previously accused of abusive behavior by his ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco, during a messy custody battle for their then-6 year old daughter in 2019.
The model and actress accused Renner of dangerous drug use and threatening to kill her and himself, according to court documents. The exes married in 2014 and Pacheco filed for divorce later that same year after just 10 months of marriage.
Renner denied the allegations in an interview with The Guardian earlier this year. He and Pacheco now share joint custody of their daughter.