Constance Wu has returned to social media after a three-year break. In a statement posted on social media Thursday, July 14, the actor said that she attempted suicide following the backlash to several tweets she posted in reaction to her ABC series Fresh Off the Boat getting renewed for another season in 2019.
Wu’s negative reaction to the series renewal received a visceral negative reaction of their own. Wu, who starred in 2019’s critically acclaimed film Hustlers opposite Jennifer Lopez, disappeared from social media after posting the tweets. In the statement, Wu shared that the negative reaction to her tweets made her suicidal.
“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. “I started feeling like I didn’t even deserve to live anymore. That I was a disgrace to AsAms [Asian Americans], 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 continued, “Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER.”
Wu, who received critical acclaim for her performance in the 2018 box office hit Crazy Rich Asians, shared that for the past few years, she has put her career in Hollywood aside to focus on her mental health, which she writes is not talked about enough within the Asian-American community. Wu was a delight on Fresh Off the Boast, Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers, so hopefully, we’ll be seeing more of her soon. In the meantime, you can catch her on the Amazon Prime series The Terminal List opposite Chris Pratt.