‘Avengers’ Star Jeremy Renner ‘Working to Sever All Ties’ With Vodka Brand Accused of Scamming Investors Out of Millions

(Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP and Jeremy Renner/Instagram)

Last July, "Avengers" and "Mission: Impossible" star Jeremy Renner signed on as a celebrity partner of Sweet Grass Vodka, a South Carolina-based spirits brand founded by Alice and Jarrod Swanger. Less than a year later, Swanger has hired a bankruptcy lawyer following allegations from former investors that they collectively invested millions of dollars and fear they won’t recoup their investments, The Post and Courier reported Friday. The ill-fated venture dates back to 2020, when Jarrod Swanger conceived a family-owned spirits brand distilled using South Carolina-grown potatoes. Each bottle of vodka was said to include a single blade of Charleston grass — a remarkably similar schtick to the world-famous Żubrówka Bison Grass Vodka, which contains a single blade of bison grass. Millions of dollars reportedly flowed in from local investors intrigued by the pitch. Projecting his company to reach $40 million in revenue by 2023, Swanger doubled down with a Sweet Grass-branded pub, events, merchandise and a slew of social media photos showing off increasingly expensive cars and watches. Behind the scenes, details weren't adding up. The Department of Revenue reportedly sent notice that Swanger hadn't filed his state income taxes in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Swanger frequently paid employees through PayPal or Apple Cash rather than an accounting system, according to the Post and Courier. Additionally, certain payments to Renner came through late, and Swanger canceled a scheduled photoshoot with the movie star this year over budget constraints and production issues, raising red flags, per the Post and Courier. Once Renner was made aware of the issues, he began “working to sever all ties with the company, including canceling his contract,” according to the Post and Courier. Swanger’s liquor manufacturer license was denied renewal by South Carolina in March, along with his right to sell alcohol by the drink on-premises. According to the Post and Courier, much of Swanger’s story about the brand doesn’t add up. Though Swanger claimed the company’s vodka was distilled on-site using locally sourced potatoes, the outlet reported that he bottled and shipped liquor produced by an unidentified third party. Beth Eggleston, whose company, ARE Concepts, was hired by Swanger to oversee sales, marketing and national compliance, according to the Post and Courier, claims Sweet Grass Vodka barely sold 2,000 cases last year. Ex-employees interviewed by The Post and Courier claim they regularly went unpaid, while over a dozen former investors say they never made back any money.

Renner was formally brought on to the brand in July 2023, a mere seven months after he was hospitalized following a near-fatal snowplow incident. On New Year's Day, Renner attempted to save his nephew from a sliding snow-removal tractor only to be pulled under the 14,000-pound vehicle himself. The actor reportedly suffered eight broken ribs, a collapsed lung, two broken ankles and more.

"I'm so grateful for the progress I've made since the start of this year which allowed me to move forward with my interest in Sweet Grass Vodka," Renner said in a since-deleted Instagram post. "Their mission is rooted in community and shared experience, which is why the second I tried it, I knew I wanted to become a part of it."

At the time, several news outlets reported that the two-time Academy Award nominee had signed on as the new owner of Sweet Grass Vodka. The agreement appears to have been more complex; Renner was allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars and promised an equity stake in the company to become a spokesperson. The first scheduled payment came late and the second never surfaced, The Post and Courier reports. All mentions of Sweet Grass Vodka have since been deleted from the actor's social media channels. Over the past week, the brand's website has been taken down and replaced with an "Under Maintenance" notice, while related imprints like Sweet Grass Bourbon and the Sweet Grass Lounge still appear to be up and running. [botmc-promo]