After a devastating snowplow accident, the Avengers star reveals the profound peace he found in the afterlife — and how it reshaped his outlook on life, love, and what truly matters.
Jeremy Renner, the beloved Avengers star known for his role as Hawkeye, recently shared a deeply personal and eye-opening account of his near-death experience following a severe snowplow accident in early 2023. Speaking candidly on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk podcast, Renner revealed that his initial reaction upon being revived was not one of relief, but of frustration — he simply didn’t want to come back.
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful relief to be removed from your body,” Renner explained, describing the near-transcendent sensation he felt while briefly in the afterlife. “It is the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel. You don’t see anything but what’s in your mind’s eye… It’s so magical.” This peaceful, almost spiritual experience was so powerful that Renner admitted feeling “pissed off” when he was resuscitated. “I remember, and I was brought back and I was so pissed off. I came back, I’m like, ‘Aww!’”
Renner’s accident, which occurred on New Year’s Day 2023 at his Reno, Nevada vacation home, was catastrophic. Attempting to prevent a snowplow from hitting his nephew, Renner was run over by the vehicle, suffering over 30 broken bones, a lacerated liver, and a collapsed lung. Airlifted to the hospital, he faced an arduous recovery that included extensive physical therapy and relearning how to walk.
Despite the trauma, Renner’s brush with death offered him a profound perspective on existence. “You don’t need to speak to anyone while you’re gone. That’s a human experience,” he said. “Time is a human construct. It’s not linear… It’s all knowing, all experiencing, all at the same time, all at once.” This philosophical insight underscores a sense of clarity Renner gained about life’s true priorities.
Now, with a renewed sense of purpose, Renner views his survival as a “great confirmation” of what truly matters. “It makes me — a man that didn’t want to come back — really be able to be back here and live it on my terms as the captain of my own ship,” he stated firmly. “And get on it or off it, I don’t give a f—. I’m going to live life on my own terms and for nobody else.”
This shift in outlook also prompted Renner to rethink his values. “I gave so much value to things that have zero value,” he confessed. “I invest not into stocks or bonds, not into crypto or Bitcoin. I invest into love and my shared relationships that I experience love with, ’cause that is the only thing that you take with you.”
Renner’s harrowing experience and subsequent reflections are chronicled in his new memoir, My Next Breath, where he candidly details his healing journey and the spiritual awakening that emerged from his near-death encounter.
From the depths of pain and near-loss, Jeremy Renner has emerged with a powerful message: life is fleeting, love is essential, and only by shedding distractions can we truly embrace what it means to be alive.
