Jeremy Renner is a man of immense talent. From getting nominated for two Oscars early in his Hollywood career, to releasing his own version of Instagram, there is a lot the man has done over the years. From indie films to blockbusters, he has shown his mettle in every avenue, from acting to singing, there is nothing it seems that the actor can’t do.
Playing a superhero came easily to Renner. His portrayal of Clint Barton/Hawkeye is as accurate as they come, quite similar to the influence RDJ has had on the character of Iron Man. Maybe this is why he thought branching out with a social media adventure would also be easy. Unfortunately for the actor, he forgot trolls existed, and that was the end of it.
Jeremy Renner’s Own Version of Instagram Fell Victim to Trolls
Jeremy Renner started his Jeremy Renner Official app in collaboration with EscapeX. The app was created by the actor back in 2017 to have a more direct line of conversation with his fans. He wanted his fans’ input, but it turned into a nightmare pretty soon. Soon, due to bullying and trolling, the actor asked EscapeX to shut down the app in 2019.
To be fair, Jeremy Renner Official wasn’t the only app to be launched by EscapeX in collaboration with a celebrity. 500 other celebs had worked on the same. Speaking to WIRED, EscapeX CEO Sephi Shapira called the situation with Renner a one-off “freak situation.”
Out of the 500 influencers that we’re working with, we’ve never had a case of any apps being hurt by this. This is a freak situation.
Unfortunately for both the actor as well as the developer, Jeremy Renner Official came to an end soon after without much to show for it. And while the actor found other avenues to focus on, this became a one-off in his storied career.
How Jeremy Renner Official Came to an End
A Deadspin journalist named Stefan Heck took credit for the downfall of the app launched by EscapeX in collaboration with Jeremy Renner. In an essay for the blog (via Nicki Swift), Heck said how a few screengrabs from the app he posted on X (formerly Twitter) ended up being the downfall of the app.
I posted the screengrabs on Twitter, everyone had a good laugh, and I went through with my weekend plans — a camping trip. Dozens of false Renners had sprouted up, sowing chaos.
This led to a lot of trolling and bullying, which eventually led to Renner asking EscapeX to shut down the official app (via The New York Times). By September 2019, it was gone, along with having been deleted from various app stores.
Jeremy Renner’s personal version of Instagram had to be shut down after a few screengrabs from the app led to a tremendous amount of trolling.
