Getty/Instagram Sonni Pacheco and Jeremy Renner
Sonni Pacheco is a Canadian artist and the former wife of Avengers star Jeremy Renner. They were married for less than a year before splitting in late 2014. They share one daughter together named Ava, who was born in March of 2013 and is now 6 years old.
The former spouses have been locked in a legal battle for Ava. Pacheco has filed for sole custody. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Pacheco alleges that Renner talked about wanting to kill her. She also claims that Renner put a gun in his own mouth and threatened to kill himself during an incident in November of 2018, while he was allegedly using coke and alcohol. The document reportedly adds that Renner fired the gun into the ceiling of Ava’s bedroom while she was sleeping and once left drugs sitting out within reach of their daughter.
A spokesperson for Renner told TMZ that the actor is focused on his daughter and denies the allegations made by his ex-wife. “It’s important to note the dramatizations made in Sonni’s declaration are a one-sided account made with a specific goal in mind.” Renner has also accused Pacheco of having “psychological problems.”
Here’s what you need to know about Sonni Pacheco.
1. Sonni Pacheco Has Previously Accused Jeremy Renner of Being a ‘Deadbeat Dad,’ Which Jeremy Renner Denies
Sonni Pacheco and Jeremy Renner have shared custody of their daughter, Ava Berlin, since their separation. But in September of 2019, Pacheco asked a judge to grant her sole physical custody of their daughter. She also requested that Renner’s visits with his daughter be supervised, in documents filed with the Superior Court of California.
Renner made the exact same request, asking for sole custody of their daughter and that Pacheco have monitored visits. The former spouses were ordered to go through child custody mediation as the legal battle drags on.
As referenced above, Pacheco has accused Renner of threatening violence against her and that he has a history of abusing drugs and alcohol. TMZ reported that, according to the recently-filed court documents, Pacheco alleges that Renner threatened to kill both her and himself because “it was better that Ava had no parents than to have [Sonni] as a mother.”
This is not the first time that Pacheco has accused Renner of inappropriate behavior. When the couple divorced, Renner agreed to pay $13,000 per month in child support. He also agreed to pay extra based on the success of movies such as the Avengers. In 2016, Pacheco accused Renner of being several months behind on child support payments and that he had failed to contribute to his daughter’s school fees.
Renner denied those claims. His spokesperson told Page Six at the time that the “claims that Renner is a deadbeat dad are baseless and completely erroneous… His ex continues on a quest of trying to publicly demean the actor and extricate him from as much money as she can for her sole benefit.”
2. Sonni Pacheco & Jeremy Renner Were Married For Less Than a Year But Kept the Nuptials Secret For Several Months
Sonni Pacheco and Jeremy Renner reportedly met on the set of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which was released in 2011. Their daughter was born in March of 2013.
The couple tied the knot in January of 2014. But they kept that news a secret from the public. Renner acknowledged that he was married in a September 2014 interview with Capitol File. He told the publication, “I have tried to protect my family’s privacy, my wife’s privacy. I don’t need her to get hammered with my life. Privacy issues are important because I want her to go about her day without being bothered.”
But the marriage was over shortly after that interview. Pacheco filed for divorce in December of 2014, citing irreconcilable differences.” According to Entertainment Tonight, Pacheco alleged that the prenup had been based on fraud and that her passport, birth certificate, and social security card had been stolen.
3. Sonni Pacheco Previously Pursued Acting & Modeling
Sonni Pacheco is originally from Vancouver, Canada. She previously pursued a modeling and acting career in Hollywood. According to the Vancouver Sun, Pacheco was working as a model and spokesperson for Monster Energy Drinks in early 2013.
Pacheco has two acting credits listed on IMDB. In 2009, she was credited as the “Splendid Wet T-Shirt Girl” for the movie American Pie Presents: The Book of Love.
Pacheco also appeared in the 2012 movie Wingman starring Peter Benson and Geoff Gustafson.
4. Pacheco Now Focuses On Creating Artwork, Specifically Sculpture
Sonni Pacheco has switched her focus from modeling to artwork. She uses her Instagram page primarily to share images of her sculptures. Her pieces include several featuring the nude female form.
Pacheco describes her artwork as her way of exploring “the visceral narrative of love and suffering, through her ability to internalize her own harrowing journey through young motherhood, divorce, and grief.” On her profile on the Saatchi Art website, Pacheco’s artwork is further explained:
“By combining the human form with the skulls of animals, each piece is a representation of her vision of strength, distress, torment, seductiveness, and servitude. Each piece is sculpted with clay- a therapeutic medium she’s worked with since pregnant with her daughter- giving her a malleable sense of storytelling that has helped shape her identity and the underlying identities of her pieces. Pacheco truly succeeds in creating and capturing a uniquely powerful portrayal of a seemingly powerless time of her life, entrusting her audiences with her most vulnerable self. When not sculpting, Pacheco is a mother to her beautiful daughter Ava, who has made her journey nothing short of pure love.”
5. Pacheco Previously Worked In Real Estate
Sonni Pacheco previously worked as a real estate agent. According to an outdated Instagram account, Pacheco stated that she was a realtor with KW Beverly Hills. Her last updated on this account was in September of 2016.
A search of the company also shows that Pacheco is not currently an agent. A search of the California Department of Real Estate does not bring up any license information for Sonni Pacheco.