The Avengers star Jeremy Renner has dismissed abuse allegations levelled against him by ex-wife Sonni Pacheco following their divorce in 2014, lamenting the media scrutiny that hurt his feelings.

Renner told the UK-based news outlet The Guardian that the allegations were not true. Instead, they were dramatisations aimed at manipulating the legal outcomes.

“The truth gets lost when headlines take over,” Renner said, adding that the allegations were repeated so many times that people began to believe them.

Renner and Pacheco, who were briefly married, got divorced in 2014. They soon found themselves embroiled in a contentious legal battle over the custody of their daughter Ava.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Pacheco alleged that Renner was an “unfit parent” and accused him of threatening to kill her and himself. She further accused the Hawkeye actor of biting their daughter and acting recklessly while under the influence.

The allegations made headlines internationally at that time. Lamenting the media scrutiny, Renner said, “It’s all the salaciousness that happens out there. It’s clickbait, and it hurts my feelings and it dehumanises people.”

Addressing the public backlash, the 54-year-old actor added, “They’re saying it for their own reasons and not for the right reasons or the truth. And I’m used to that, because I’m a public figure. I don’t read people’s reviews, I don’t read people’s comments. I don’t care. That’s not part of my life.”

Renner also revealed that he now shares joint custody of their daughter with Pacheco.

On the work front, Renner is currently gearing up for Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.