Constance Wu Says She Attempted Suicide Following 2019 Twitter Backlash
“I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it," the actress wrote.
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Constance Wu, the star of Hustlers, Crazy Rich Asians, and ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, returned to Twitter on Thursday after a three-year hiatus to share a deeply upsetting admission: Following an onslaught of online backlash after a series of tweets in 2019, Wu attempted suicide.
“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. I felt awful about what I’d said, and 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.”
The tweets Wu refers to in the statement came after Fresh Off the Boat was renewed for a sixth season in 2019. The actress made plain how upset she was about another season, writing that she was “literally crying,” before retracting the sentiments shortly thereafter.
“Todays tweets were on the heels of rough day&were ill timed w/the news of the show,” she tweeted. “Plz know, Im so grateful for FOTB renewal. I love the cast&crew. Im proud to be a part of it.”
Months later, Wu told the Los Angeles Times that she was disappointed only because another season prevented her from starring in a film she was eager to be a part of: “I had this moment of heat where I got upset because I had to give up a job I had been looking forward to and had been chasing for a while,” she said. Even still, backlash persisted and Wu retreated from social media, sought therapy, and wrote a book about her recent mental health struggles.
“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’s forthcoming memoir, Making a Scene, will be a compilation of essays that recount the harrowing moments, like the aforementioned, of her life. She concluded the statement by saying that she hopes her own candor will inspire “pathways to healing” for others: “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.”
An outpouring of support for Wu has reverberated on Twitter, and justifiably so. Imagine being villainized simply for venting you didn’t want to continue working on a project you’ve already given five years of your life to, in a moment of frustration. I don’t cape for celebrities, but I don’t need to in order to write that Wu—like anyone—deserves care if ever and whenever she needs it, regardless of any perceived slight.
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