Constance Wu, best known for her roles in Hustlers and Crazy Rich Asians, has just returned to social media following a three-year hiatus, explain gin the reason for her absence was due to an attempt she made on her own life after receiving heavy backlash online in 2019.
“I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it: 3 years ago, when I made careless tweets about the renewal of my TV show, it ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe,” Wu wrote on Twitter.
Back in 2019, Wu made a series of posts reacting to the news that ABC would be renewing the sitcom in which she starred, titled Fresh Off The Boat.
The show, which follows the lives of an immigrant Taiwanese family adjusting to the socio-cultural landscape of the United States, was praised for its portrayal of Asian Americans, who are often overlooked and underrepresented in television.
“So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. Fuck”, Wu wrote, when she discovered the show would be getting a sixth season.
When a Twitter user congratulated her and called the renewal “great news”, Wu replied, “No it’s not.”
She later clarified that she was “having a rough day” and was disappointed that she had to pull out of a passion project in order to fulfil her renewed duties on the show. She also felt as though Fresh Off The Boat had become “easy and pleasant” and was looking to challenge herself with something new.
“I felt awful about what I’d said,” Wu wrote in her recent statement.
“When a few DMs 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. 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. Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER.”
Wu went on to explain that following the incident, she prioritised her mental health and put her career to the side. She then said that Asian American’s don’t talk about their mental health enough, which makes it harder for people to come forward when they’re struggling.
“AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough,” she wrote. While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community. Even my tweets became a subject so touchy that most of my AsAm colleagues decided that was the time to avoid me or ice me out. I’ll admit it hurt a lot, but it also made me realize how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time.”
Wu finished her statement by saying that after “a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy,” she felt “OK enough” to venture back on to social media.
“Even though I’m scared, I’ve decided that I owe it to the me-of-3-years-ago to be brave and share my story so that it might help someone with theirs.”
Wu recently starred alongside Chris Pratt in The Terminal List and will be voicing a character in the animated children’s movie, Lyle Lyle Crocodile.
The actress also shared that she has written a book titled, Making a Scene — a collection of Wu’s essays on trauma, childhood and being Asian in Hollywood, which will be released in October.
