Chinese filmmaker and artist Yi Zhou has made multiple allegations against actor Jeremy Renner, which include sending her unsolicited pornographic images and threatening to call ICE on her.
Zhou, who was romantically involved with the Marvel star, featured him in her recently released documentary, “Chronicles of Disney,” and upcoming AI-animated feature film, “Stardust Future: Stars and Scars.”
Last month, Zhou gave an exclusive interview to the Daily Mail where she confirmed her romance with Renner, who is 17 years her senior. The article also included multiple photos of them together, which Zhou provided.
The day after the article went live, Zhou’s “Chronicles of Disney” was released on Oct. 17. The documentary took an intimate look at the Walt Disney Company through the eyes of the artists and artisans who create its magic. Besides Renner, Oscar-winning costume designer Mark Bridges and makeup artist Bill Corso were also featured.
However, after the documentary’s release, Zhou received some unexpected feedback. She claimed in a series of Instagram posts that she faced criticism from Renner’s fans who argued that the actor wasn’t actually in the film and that his scenes were AI-generated.
“Many Jeremy Renner fans have been attacking me and my team on all platforms, accusing [us] of using another person’s body as if it’s [not] Jeremy’ in our documentary,” she wrote in an Oct. 31 post. Refuting the AI allegations, Zhou shared a video of her and Renner driving together.
In a subsequent post, Zhou referred to this group as “trolls,” claiming their behavior towards her was “graciously nasty.” Zhou added: “Hope the truth will prevail and these troll accounts will be closed.” She included the hashtags #canceljeremyrenner, #closethetrollaccounts, and #stopmisinformation.
Then, on Nov. 3, Zhou began revealing the extent of her relationship with Renner — both professionally and romantically.
“It is with deep regret, sadness, and disappointment that I am compelled to share a truth I have been holding inside for too long,” she began a post.
“I feel profound despair that a project created to uplift below-the-line artists and to celebrate the history of one of the world’s most beloved companies, Disney, has been damaged by online trolling and by the misconduct of Jeremy Renner,” she claimed.
Zhou went on to say that her romantic relationship with Renner started after he sent her “personal and intimate photographs of himself,” adding, “He convinced me of his sincerity, saying he had been single for a long time and open to a long-term relationship.”
In a different post, she clarified that the explicit photos she received from Jenner were how she was introduced to him. She wrote the messages were unsolicited were sent to her via DM and WhatsApp in June 2025.
“After having calls and text discussions, he allured me and sold me [he’s] looking for a relation and of course seduced / flattered that he was a Hollywood star fantasizing and loving me so much I believed in him / the power of love,” she wrote, adding that she then invited him to take part in her documentary and animated feature.
Zhou further claimed that Renner subsequently entered into written agreements with her Italian production company, Into the Sun films, granting signed consent for the use of his image, likeness, archival material, social-media content, and his foundation in their projects.
But after the documentary’s release, Zhou claimed that Renner “refused to make any public promotion” and ignored her public and private pleas for support. She alleged that instead of supporting the project, Renner 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 37-year-old director pointed out that current regulations and California law mean Renner would have had to consent to any AI version of himself being used.
Zhou then claimed that when she privately confronted Renner about his behavior, he “threatened to call immigration/ICE on me,” an act that “deeply shocked and frightened” her.
She called this behavior “unacceptable and emblematic of the imbalance of power” in the industry, stating that the misinformation and intimidation have caused her personal and reputational harm while undermining the work of all the film’s contributors.
Renner has yet to respond to Zhou’s allegations.