Who is Yi Zhou? Meet the Ex-Chinese Business Partner Jeremy Renner Allegedly Threatened with ICE

Yi Zhou is a multi-talented Chinese director, writer, and multimedia artist whose wide-ranging work has helped establish her reputation in the entertainment industry. Her professional partnership with 54-year-old actor Jeremy Renner, which recently fell apart, has placed her in the public eye, not only for her creative work but mainly for her explosive allegations of misconduct against him.

As per YiZhouStudio via IMDb, Zhou's career covers a broad spectrum of creative endeavours, from fashion and film to visual art. Her portfolio features short films, brand collaborations, multimedia exhibitions, and content production. She has also established her own production companies, creating original content aimed at a global audience.

Who Is Jeremy Renner's Accuser? Inside Yi Zhou's Early Life and Career Background

Zhou was born on 8 November 1987 in Shanghai, China, and moved with her family to Rome, Italy, at the age of eight. The 38-year-old filmmaker later graduated from the London School of Economics, where she reportedly studied political science and economics.

Returning to China in 2010, Zhou founded YiZhouStudio, a brand management and content creation production company, with offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Her installations and short films have been showcased at prestigious events such as the Shanghai Biennale, Venice Biennale, Sundance Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival.

In 2017, she expanded the company to Los Angeles and launched a new fashion and lifestyle label, Global Intuition Brand, which made its debut at Fred Segal in 2019. Zhou didn't stop there— she also co-founded the Royal House of Savoy Inc. with Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Prince of Venice. In 2023, she ventured into the metaverse with the launch of Into the Sun and the Sun Investment Company.

Recent Collaboration with Jeremy Renner

Zhou has collaborated with major brands such as Chanel and Levi Strauss, and has worked with renowned photographers like Karl Lagerfeld, Raymond Meier, Patrick Demarchelier, Jen-Baptiste Mondino, and Inez & Vinoodh. Her most recent professional partnership was with Jeremy Renner, reportedly on the documentary Chronicles of Disney and the animated film Stardust Future.

Their partnership, initially professional and later personal, has erupted into conflict following Zhou's allegations that Renner sent her unsolicited explicit images and threatened to contact US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an act she views as intimidation.

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Renner's Response to Zhou's Allegations

The actor, through his legal representatives, strongly denied the filmmaker's claims. His lawyers said the allegations are 'false, outrageous and highly defamatory.' They added that all of the duo's personal contacts were 'brief and consensual.'

'The true facts are that Ms. Zhou has relentlessly and aggressively harassed and pursued my client for months with no reciprocation on my client's part, other than a single brief encounter on 12 July 2025,' the legal team said in a statement that was shared with PEOPLE.

Jeremy Renner Accused of Sending 'Unsolicited P--n' But His Team Issued Terse Denial to Claims

Weeks Before Her Claims, Zhou Spoke Fondly of 'New Love' With Renner

Meanwhile, the story has grown more complicated because just three weeks before Zhou made her allegations against Renner, she was publicly speaking about their relationship. According to Page Six, through a social media post in October, she indicated a romantic connection, saying Renner had found a 'new love' in her after his snow-plough accident. Additionally, she uploaded a photo of them together in September when they were in Reno, Nevada and in Renner's home.

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