Actress Constance Wu has revealed that she tried to kill herself after being heavily criticized for her comments on her TV series Fresh Off The Boat’s renewal.
In a lengthy statement marking her return to Twitter after nearly three years, the Crazy Rich Asians star said she was afraid to return to social media platforms “because I almost lost my life from it.”
Wu said she had experienced internet shaming over her “carless tweets,” adding: “Three years ago, when I made careless tweets about the renewal of my TV show, it ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe.”
In 2019, she posted a series of tweets after US TV Network ABC announced that Fresh Off The Boat would be renewed for a sixth season.
The 40-year-old who played the mother, Jessica, on the show since 2015, tweeted: “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh.” She also responded: “No it’s not,” to a Twitter fan who had greeted her on the “great news,” which some of her co-stars had openly embraced.
Later, Wu said the remarks were “ill-timed” and had been made following a tough day. She added that the series’ renewal meant she couldn’t work on a passion project.
“I felt awful about what I’d said and when a few DMs [direct messages] from a fellow Asian actress told me I’d become a blight on the Asian American community, I started feeling like I didn’t even deserve to live anymore,” she wrote in the statement announcing her return to Twitter.
Wu, whose parents emigrated from Taiwan to the United States, has defended Asian representation in film and TV, fighting for Asian-American visibility.
“That I was a disgrace to AsAms, and they’d be better off without me. Looking back, it’s surreal that a few DMs convinced me to end my own life, but that’s what happened,” she added.
The Hustlers star said that a friend had found her and rushed her to the ER. She also revealed that she had written a book about her experience, titled “Making A Scene,” to help others who have gone through similar situations.
Wu wrote that she felt “OK enough” to return to social media after a break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy.
Fellow stars and personalities like comedian Jenny Yang, author Ashley C Ford, filmmaker Michael Skolnik, and novelist Esmé Weijun Wang supported Wu online after the announcement.
