Actor Jeremy Renner is opening up about the profound and surreal peace he experienced during his near-death encounter on New Year’s Day 2023, after being crushed by a snow plow near his home in Nevada.
In a candid conversation on SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, Renner recounted the terrifying accident that left him critically injured and requiring multiple surgeries.
Despite the physical trauma, Renner said what he remembers most vividly is the unexpected sense of peace he felt as he hovered near death.
“It’s a great relief, is all I can say,” Renner said. “To be removed from your body — it’s a wonderful relief.”
Renner described the moment as intensely spiritual and otherworldly.
“It is the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel,” he shared. “You don’t see anything except what’s in your mind’s eye. You are the atoms of who you are — your DNA, your spirit. It’s the highest adrenaline rush, but also the most peaceful. It’s magnificent. It’s magical. And I didn’t want to come back.”
He recalled regaining consciousness with a jolt: “I came back and I saw the eyeball again. I’m like, oh, s**t. I’m back. Then I saw my legs and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s gonna hurt later.’ So I told myself, ‘Just keep breathing.’”
Renner revealed that the title of his memoir, My Next Breath, is a reference to the 45 agonizing minutes he spent focused solely on surviving each inhale as he waited for help to arrive.
The experience, he said, permanently shifted his perspective on life.
“I’m going to live life on my own terms. And for nobody else,” Renner stated. “I invest in love — in the relationships where love is present — because that’s the only thing you take with you.”
Now, with a renewed sense of purpose, Renner is focusing on what truly matters most to him: love, connection, and intentional living.
