Overview
- Filmmaker Yi Zhou alleges Renner sent unsolicited explicit images beginning in June, describes an initial non-consensual encounter, and says he later threatened to call ICE on her.
- A representative for Renner called the accusations “totally inaccurate and untrue,” reiterating a full denial in statements to multiple outlets.
- The Los Angeles Times reports Renner’s lawyer, Marty Singer, sent Zhou a cease-and-desist letter on Friday, and Zhou posted a cease-and-desist email she says she sent to Renner.
- Zhou and Renner had collaborated on her documentary Masters of Cinema: Chronicles of Disney and the animated film Stardust Future, with Zhou claiming he refused to promote the documentary and allowed false AI-related claims to spread.
- Some of Zhou’s Instagram posts were later deleted and the message screenshots cited by outlets have not been independently verified, as coverage also revisits 2019 abuse allegations from Renner’s ex-wife that he has denied.