Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner has ‘found new love’ with a Chinese movie maker 17 years his junior – but the two have already had an embarrassing public tiff, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Influencer and documentarian Yi Zhou, 37, who is working on two films with Renner, 54, said that their relationship turned romantic in recent months, after his recovery from a near-fatal snowplow accident.
‘We have been in a relationship,’ Zhou told the Daily Mail, adding that the actor ‘found new love’ with her.
Zhou, who has modeled for Chanel and appeared in Vogue and Elle, said she even wrote a love song with the Marvel actor.
She is directing an animated film for which Renner is performing a voiceover, and he is interviewed in her upcoming documentary about Disney, which owns the Marvel franchise.
Hints of their relationship emerged last month when Zhou posted photos and videos to her 1.8 million Instagram followers of herself and Renner driving through his home town of Reno, Nevada, in his convertible sports car and hanging out at his home.
Chinese-born filmmaker Yi Zhou – pictured in a selfie with Jeremy Renner – told the the Daily Mail she began dating the actor in recent months
Zhou, 37, who is 17 years his junior, has proudly shared photos of their romance – including this picture of the Marvel star – on her social media accounts
‘As a single man for many years, he has the liberty to decide how to live his personal life,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘If he wanted something short or casual, or if he preferred not to commit, that is his choice.’
Zhou praised Renner’s ‘humility’ and ‘willingness to reflect and grow’, adding: ‘even if a man buys you flowers, shoes, or bags, what does it mean if he is not willing to grow or change as a person?’
Renner’s relationship with Zhou follows a reported eight-month entanglement in 2024 with fashion influencer Cassandra Mason, the first love linked to him since his near-fatal snowplow accident in January 2023 that left him with 30 broken bones.
But there has been some turbulence with Zhou even in their nascent romance.
Last month she had a spat with Renner and publicly posted a flurry of angry comments under his photos on Instagram, after reading critical news stories about the actor’s past, demanding that she be ‘treated respectfully’.
Zhou, a filmmaker, is also a model who has appeared in work for Chanel and in Vogue and Elle
According to a screenshot of one comment Zhou appeared angry about an alleged ‘secret weekend’ he had with another female social media influencer.
She has now deleted all the posts, and said it was a ‘misunderstanding’ she regrets.
Zhou said some of the stories that sparked her posts included reports of court claims by Renner’s ex-wife Sonni Pacheco, alleging that the Hurt Locker star took drugs and threw debauched parties, failing to take care of their young daughter Ava.
Pacheco’s claims during their contentious divorce and child custody battle also included Renner allegedly flying glamorous women to his Reno mansion amid the coronavirus lockdown, partying without face masks, and putting his seven-year-old daughter ‘at risk‘.
Renner denied his ex’s claims at the time and called them ‘one-sided.’
Zhou said she was ‘shocked’ by the stories and went straight to Instagram.
‘We have this documentary coming out, and it was shocking for me to read these things. So I commented publicly. I shouldn’t have,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘I deleted because I chose to believe and give a chance to somebody who wants to amend. He deserves another chance in life.
‘After the accident he’s willing to change, and I want to believe that.’
Renner’s representative did not respond to requests for comment.
Last year the Daily Mail exclusively revealed the movie star had been dating Amber Monson, an ex-convict hairdresser from Reno.
Her family said that Monson showed them ‘d**k pics’ Renner had allegedly sent her, and claimed he called her mother and aunt ‘f**king idiots’ and refused to meet them when they visited his Lake Tahoe mansion.
Zhou has posted a series of Instagram stories showing the pair spending time together in Reno
In one snap that seems to be taken at his Reno home, Renner can be seen lounging on the couch on his laptop. She also posted an Instagram story with a collage of photos of the couple driving in his convertible
According to local news reports, Monson was arrested after allegedly stealing a government car and taking it on a high-speed chase near schools in 2021.
In 2023 she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor over the case.
Zhou – who does not have a rap sheet – said she met the actor while working on a documentary about Disney in which Renner is interviewed on camera.
Chronicles of Disney is described as a ‘personal and intimate exploration of the legacy of the Walt Disney Company, told through the voices of the artists, artisans, and collaborators who have shaped its magic for generations,’ in a press release reported by Hollywood industry site Deadline on October 9.
Renner, a two-time Oscar nominee, is featured in the documentary talking about his near-fatal accident when he was run over by his own 14,000 PistenBully snowcat on New Years Day, 2023, telling how his desire to finish his Disney+ series Rennervations pushed him to recover.
Deadline reported that other interviewees include two-time Oscar-winning costume designer Mark Bridges, Oscar–winning makeup artist Bill Corso, and Oscar nominees Donald Mowat and Camille Friend.
Renner was trying to save his nephew as his snow plow started sliding, when he was pulled under and crushed on New Year’s Day in Nevada in 2023
Later, Renner issued a warning to fellow Reno and Lake Tahoe residents to be careful of the extreme weather and said he missed his ‘happy place’
Renner is also voice acting as a narrator on Zhou’s AI-animated movie Stardust Future: Stars and Scars, set for release in November.
Zhou says it is the first feature-length film created entirely using artificial intelligence.
The Chinese influencer told the Daily Mail she even recorded a ‘love song’ with Renner for her documentary.
‘We have also written the score for the doc with Jeremy and wrote a love song together called Rising Sun at the Edge of the Ocean,’ she said.
Zhou called it ‘a love song about redemption and the meaning of love that heals and changes us.’
The documentarian has had some of her past work shown at Shanghai Biennale, Venice Biennale, Sundance Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival.
As a model and influencer she has worked with top brands including Chanel and Levi’s.
And she told the Daily Mail that spilling on her romances wasn’t her usual practice.
‘I personally never communicate about my relationships publicly, because I prefer to let my work speak for me. I don’t need a famous boyfriend to be recognized,’ she said.