Jeremy Renner has been the subject of gay rumors in the National Enquirer a few times, first after he leaped to fame with the Oscar-winning Hurt Locker and second for getting too bro-mancy with Tom Cruise when they filmed Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
The Hollywood Reporter now tells of a Jeremy Renner who is intensely defensive about his private life, but who will open up about choking a bitch who called him gay. Says THR:
Renner tells the story of how, on Christmas Eve a few years back, when he was with his family in a bar, “This guy chokes me with the scarf I was wearing. He called me a fag ’cause I was wearing a scarf! Then he shoved my sister and I got behind him and I choked him out—put him to sleep.”
Kind of an overreaction, wouldn’t you say?
But anyway, Renner insists he’s straight, doesn’t like people speculating about his personal life, and has had plenty of long-term engagements with lady friends.
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For Renner, Internet speculation already has centered around whom he’s dating (everyone from Jessica Simpson to Scarlett Johansson, if you believe the tabs) to his sexual orientation. “I want my personal life to be personal, and it’s not f—ing true,” he says of the suppositions. “And I don’t care if you’re talking about things that are true, you’re still talking about my personal life. How about I go peek in your window, take what underwear you wore last night, whose husband you were f—ing, and shove that in the megaphone throughout your neighborhood? How does that feel?”
As to his long-term involvements, he says he had one five-year relationship with a woman while in his 20s and another that ended two years ago after 4 1/2 years. He met that girlfriend, Jes Macallan — who, as her Twitter account reveals, married actor Jason Gray-Stanford (Monk) on March 17 — when she was 23 and working at a film festival in Florida; subsequently, she decided to go into acting. “That was part of the issue,” says Renner. “I was going through the Hurt Locker campaign and she’s like, ‘Where do I get headshots?’ ”
Guess he doesn’t like helping his girlfriends get a leg up in the business. But until somebody comes forward as his ex-boyfriend, I’m considering the gay rumors totally bunk.
NoVa Scotty
ATTENTION ALL GAY PEOPLE: Just because you find someone attractive doesn’t make him homosexual. Have a little self-respect and leave this guy alone, already. You shouldn’t doubt his claims of heterosexuality any more than you should doubt George Michael’s claims of homosexuality.
mattsy
TOTAL GAYFACE
M
I’m confused. He doesn’t want to discuss his personal life, then proceeds to do exactly that and throw his ex under the bus in the process?
Which one is it, Renner?
“And I don’t care if you’re talking about things that are true, you’re still talking about my personal life. How about I go peek in your window, take what underwear you wore last night, whose husband you were f—ing, and shove that in the megaphone throughout your neighborhood? How does that feel?”
There’s a BIG difference between talking about you and peeking in your window and taking what underwear you wore the previous night. Does he not understand that people are going to talk about him? Especially if he’s on your TV and in your local movieplex?
He’s lost all sense of reality.
SFHarry
hmm…. doesn’t like his personal life talked about but goes on to talk about his personal life.
MKisNE
He needed to choke the doctor that gave him his last face lift, because he doesn’t look gay he looks like a 50 year old woman.
MKisNE
@NoVa Scotty: we don’t find him attractive thanks.. and some movie stars appreciate their gay fans the same as their female fans.
Polyboy
Talk about a misleading headline. The guy who he choked out was being physically inappropriate with Renner and his family.
Renner choked him out, I would have put his head to the edge of the table.
DenverBarbie
I really loathe the celebrities who whine about people and paparazzi taking interest in their personal lives. You cannot be so naive when wanting to break into show business to such a symptom of fame. If you so passionately don’t want it, get a desk job.
Robert Abrami
I think he was put in a terrible position when the guy pushed his siser but choling him seems a bit over the top.
I think he’s very handsome, a good actor, and probably straight.
Enjoy your fame Jeremy it can flash past you in a minute.
Joe B.
I suggest this … if you actually think that Jeremy Renner is gay but also think he’s not a good gay then just don’t have sex with him.
I don’t think anyone reading this really needs to worry about that moment in their life though.
I don’t care what he is. He’s not a very compelling anything imho.
monroeplace
I think choking someone is a bit over the top but the guy did push his sister and called him a fag but if he’s in the entertainment industry, looks good (and he does) someone is going to assume that he’s gay. So let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and watch his movies and enjoy them.
Michael
Sorry, but the guy comes across as a HUGE power bottom.
So funny
This little man chokes a guy out? LOL LOL — guess he is believing the hype on his tough guy characters. Memo to Jeremy, you play ‘tough’ guys in bad movies but you are a munchkin wannabe.
EdWoody
He is as gay as a clutch purse full of rainbows and glitter, being carried by a seven foot drag queen down Bourbon Street… with a dick in his mouth.
SeaChas
+1 to the comment regarding him looking like a 50 yr old woman. Every time I see him in the news, I think, “there’s Bonnie Tyler FTM.”
Cam
“”Kind of an overreaction, wouldn’t you say?”
_______________
Are you fucking kidding me? The guy choked him and then assaulted his sister?! This isn’t about him being called a name, this isa bout a physical confrontation.
Cam
@NoVa Scotty: said…
”
ATTENTION ALL GAY PEOPLE: Just because you find someone attractive doesn’t make him homosexual. Have a little self-respect and leave this guy alone, already. You shouldn’t doubt his claims of heterosexuality any more than you should doubt George Michael’s claims of homosexuality.”
___________________-
Attention publicist interns who come on here to further lies about their boss’s clients.
1. Just because you want to say somebody isn’t gay doesn’t mean they aren’t…this guy has, over the past decade owned jointly and lived in two houses with his good “Friend”. His drama teacher, not knowing that he apparently is “Straight” mentioned meeting his boyfriend. And, he has been claiming to be “Too Busy” for a relationship for years. Sorry, real people don’t do that.
2. If we shouldn’t doubt George Michael’s claim of homesecuality now….should we have doubted his obviously false claim of hetrosexuality a few years back? He was obviously lying about it.
dvlaries
Every now and then there’s a queerty story sends me flashing back to The Onion’s first fresh, post-9/11 headline story:
_
“Grieving Nation Yearns To Care About Trivial Bullshit Again.”
Josh
He doesn’t actually say he’s straight either. He could be bisexual. He’s only had two relationships with women in the last 20 years. That doesn’t tell you much. Who knows what fantasies he really has, it’s not that important unless you want to date him. He’s a great actor which is lacking in movies these days. Although that bit about not wanting to talk about your private life, but then you continue to reveal it all anyway is ironic.
Danny
In the quote from the article he said “And I don’t care if you’re talking about things that are true, you’re still talking about my personal life. How about I go peek in your window, take what underwear you wore last night, whose husband you were f—ing, and shove that in the megaphone throughout your neighborhood? How does that feel?”
So, isn’t he saying someone peeked in his window, stole his underwear, saw him f-ing someone’s husband, and broadcast it throughout his neighborhood?
Did he just come out? It’s very confusing based on that quote.
ousslander
a lot of people need to be choked out.
jason
Note how Renner says that sexuality should be a private – not public – issue but then insists he’s straight. Why did he have to insist he’s straight? It seems he was concerned about the notion that being thought of as gay might not go down too well with his fan base, and thus might affect his marketability to the public.
In any case, never liked him.
Blah, bla..huh?
The new PR for famous people means having troll at every gay site talking trolling points du jour. It’s kinda like having your own personal lying evangelical maniac editors. Fuck off Hollywood, we see you.
Ok, ok
@NoVa Scotty: I don’t find him attractive at all and it’s probably his people spreading the rumors to make him somehow relevant.
Your move.
Geoff B
@Cam: Exactly what I was thinking.
gorge bush
shouldn’t he be glad that anyone AT ALL is paying attention to him? wasn’t he working at la taco just a few years back? get over yourself mz renner, cause you nasty!
ryan
Lame, trollish headine. Its obviously in no way a “overreaction” to choke out someone who chokes you first and assaults your sister. It is the exact right reaction.
SteveC
He doesn’t like to talk about his ‘personal life’ yet happily discusses his ex-girlfriends.
What a moron.
What a hypocrite.
What a closeted homosexual.
Remember he was accidentally outed by his estate agent, just after The Hurt Locker, when he and his boyfriend at the time put their 1 bedroom apartment on the market.
Jeremy Renner is not straight. That is blatantly obvious. Maybe he is not gay, but he is certainly not straight.
George Clooney’s reaction to the gay rumours about himself is far classier and more dignified and mature than the reaction of the ugly, violent little runt Jeremy Renner.
Dawson
Why are we letting this guy get off with thinking just calling you ‘GAY’ is something you can turn to violence. The issue of his sister isn’t the point. The issue is another person in the public light who has taken to the press to glorify his reaction. How stupid is this guy and at his age and in 2012 we can not tolerate this behavior.
I don’t care about his face, or his sister or his private life. I care about someone so stupid to say something like this at all OUR expense. If he said this about any race or ethnic group what would be the reaction? So Jeremy if someone called you a Jew would you react the same way? Not only should we make an example of all the Jeremy Renner’s in the world we need to let OUR community know that not only is this HATEFUL but that no gay person should EVER patronize anything to do with Mr. Renner.
If we can boycott Target we can also boycott any project related to Mr. Renner.
If someone has these hateful views about our community why would we support any of his films? We must let Hollywood know that if you hate any actor who takes on the view that violence to being just being called ‘GAY’ is not something we will tolerate or support. Mr. Renner you will never see another gay dollar from me———-ever!
Maxx E Padd
Oh, Jeremy. This is something to be proud of that you choked someone for calling you gay?
You work in Hollywood———–hello, gay people.
So if this is your way of calling attention to how stupid you are you did a fine job.
What person in this day would ever go around trying to alienate himself from any group. Oh I forgot about the Republican.
Jeremy, good luck with that career. We gays have a long memory.
Ryan
@Dawson, you seem incredibly slow-witted. Renner didn’t attack the guy because he called him “gay”. He didn’t “say something at OUR expense”. That’s not in the article. That’s your own nonsense.
“The issue with the sister isn’t the point”.
Yes, actually, it is. If you read Renner’s own words, that was specifically the point, and ultimately the reason why he attacked the guy. The slur was incidental.
If YOU were in a bar and someone called you a fag, choked you with your own scarf, and pushed your sister, wouldn’t you attack them? I sure would. I wouldn’t let anyone talk to me or treat me that way. I don’t understand why *you* apparently would.
Jakey
The guy physically assaulted him and his sister, not exactly an overreaction.
jessi
The guy choked him with a scarf, called him a fag, and pushed his sister. What would you rather him do, go sit in a corner and cry? I’m glad he stood up for himself and his sister and put that prick to sleep. I’m gay, but I get offended when people call me fag, because they say it to be derrogatory. The guy got what he deserved! He wasn’t overreacting. As for the rest of it, if he doesn’t want to talk about his sexuality that’s his business. He has a career to think about.
LLM
A lot of bashings (and an even greater amount of bullying) start exactly how he described: someone physically hassling you–blocking your route, tripping you, pushing you, or pulling on your coat or scarf to choke you, then that person calling you slur like “fag,” and attacking your “gay” clothes/look/speech/etc., and upping the physical altercation by pushing or shoving the weakest member of your group. I have been there personally.
If Jeremy Renner was openly gay and the exact same thing had happened we would all be applauding hike for fighting back and not allowing himself to be bashed or bullied for his sexual orientation (and frankly knocking someone out is one of the few ways you can make sure they don’t come after you once you let go of them and give up your advantage), but we are divided here. Why? You can be a straight man bashed or bullied for your PERCEIVED orientation. This guy saw his scarf, started pulling on it/choking him, taunting him with “fag!” and then started shoving Renner’s sister. Whether he *is* gay or straight is irrelevant, he was being bullied for the perception that he was and he fought back.
If a guy had called him “gay” from across the street and he went over and beat him up in response, he would be a homophobic jerk. This, however, is totally appropriate for a person being bullied and potentially bashed by a true homophobe for “being” gay. Whether or not the victim is or was simply thought to be gay is irrelevant.
tazz602
Gentlemen – he didn’t choke the guy simply for calling him a fag – the gay was being a total asshole to him, physically assaulted him and his sister.
“This guy chokes me with the scarf I was wearing. He called me a fag ’cause I was wearing a scarf! Then he shoved my sister”
This guy deserved whatever he got – ANY one of us would have done the same – or most of us – esp if they assaulted a member of our family or one of our friends.
Liam McG
“The issue of his sister isn’t the point.”
Actually, that’s exactly the point. Plus what LLM (#34) said.
“I don’t care about his face, or his sister or his private life. I care about someone so stupid to say something like this at all OUR expense. If he said this about any race or ethnic group what would be the reaction? So Jeremy if someone called you a Jew would you react the same way? Not only should we make an example of all the Jeremy Renner’s in the world we need to let OUR community know that not only is this HATEFUL but that no gay person should EVER patronize anything to do with Mr. Renner.”
Huh? What he said was that “It’s not f–ing true!” I’m not sure how that is at “all OUR expense.
I will NEVER understand the obsession with speculating on/screeching about the sexual orientation of those in the public eye, with the exception of those who actually work against us (insert name of every gay GOP politician who has supported DOMA and DADT). It ISN’T suddenly your business who he’s banging or how he lives his private life just because he’s achieved a modicum of fame. Use your energies on something constructive — go counsel gay teens struggling with coming out, support organizations working for equality, etc.
J Ascher
I don’t blame him for turning the tables on his attacker. Choking can be a life and death hazard.
Julien
He’s been hanging around Tom Cruise for too long. He’s been living with his partner for years. Now that he’s a pseudo action star, he wants to go back into the closet. You can blame Tom and the other closeted Hollywood ‘mos for this behavior.