Jeremy Renner Official

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Jeremy Renner Official was a mobile app created by American actor Jeremy Renner in March 2017 to hear from his fans. The app let fans post comments, and Renner shared questions, updates, and occasional livestreams. The community grew with memes, selfies, and a weekly “Happy Rennsday” on Wednesdays. The app looked similar to Instagram and offered optional microtransactions, with some “stars” costing up to about $400, even though the app was free to download. It launched with a promotional contest where the winner and a guest would lunch with Renner at the Calgary Expo.

But the app faced problems. There were impersonations, bullying, and even death threats from fake accounts pretending to be celebrities. Censorship concerns and alleged contest-rigging were reported as early as 2017. In 2019, a hoax account mocked Renner. In September 2019, after users’ push notifications appeared to come from Renner, he asked Escapex to shut down the app. The app was removed from the Google Play Store and the App Store. Renner issued a mass refund for “stars” purchases made in the prior 90 days and apologized to fans.

After shutdown, a pseudo-app called “The Jeremy Renner App Experience” was released, and a six-part podcast, “The Renner Files,” mocked the deletion. The marketing of the app by its developer, Escapex, drew criticism for monetization and for ads that seemed erotic while the app was marketed as safe for children, with limited actual interaction with Renner despite the paid features.