Actor Jeremy Renner on Wednesday announced that he is shutting down his app because online trolls were impersonating him to cause drama on the platform.
“The app has jumped the shark. Literally. Due to clever individuals that were able to manipulate ways to impersonate me and others within the app I have asked ESCAPEX, the company that runs this app to shut it down immediately,” the Avengers actor wrote in a post on the app. “What was supposed to be a place for fans to connect with each other has turned into a place that is everything I detest and can’t or won’t condone. My sincere apologies for this to have not turned out the way it was intended.”
BREAKING NEWS: JEREMY RENNER IS SHUTTING DOWN THE JEREMY RENNER APP
Fans used the Jeremy Renner Official app to communicate with each other and to see all of the actor’s social media posts consolidated in one place. Users could also buy “stars,” or accumulate them by being active on the app — the more stars, the higher they were ranked.
But as with most spaces online, the fan utopia was not to be, and the app was plagued with bullying and hateful comments. In 2017, the Ringer published an article detailing the actor’s efforts to salvage the atmosphere.
The actor’s business manager, Kristoffer Winters, said the app had been pummeled by so many negative comments that the team decided to enforce more content moderation on an updated version. But the relaunch did little to quell the negativity, and trolls had recently found a way to infiltrate the app to impersonate Renner and others to harass fans. “Rennies” tried to fight back with their own content, but in the end, Renner apparently had had enough.
“To all the super fans who have supported me with your words or encouragement, amazing art, stories and time shared on the app, a genuine THANK YOU and I hope to see you on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook,” Renner wrote in his goodbye note.
the jeremy renner app is absolutely out of control
Despite all the drama around an app that had been around for a couple years, a lot of people were confused by the fact that the actor had one to begin with.
“if i didn’t dislike jeremy renner so much i’d download his app so i could personally own the key to hell’s gates right on my phone,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Jeremy Renner just wanted to create a fun, safe space on the web for Jeremy Renner fans to connect, and you monsters ruined it,” another Twitter user wrote.
RIP Jeremy Renner Official. At least fans still have the Jeremy Renner Store on Amazon for all their camping needs?