Constance Wu Breaks Silence On Attempted Suicide Due To 'Internet Shaming'

On Thursday, Constance Wu took to Twitter to reveal that she hasn’t been on social media for almost three years.

In the lengthy message, which can be read in its entirety below, the “Crazy Rich Asians” star admits that she “made careless tweets” about the renewal of “Fresh Off The Boat,” which resulted in a considerable amount of backlash online.

Overwhelmed, the 40-year-old actress tried to take her own life, but fortunately, a friend found her in time and was able to rush her to the ER.

In May 2019, Wu shared several tweets saying how disappointed she was that “Fresh Off The Boat” was renewed for another season.

In one tweet, she said that she was “so upset now that I’m literally crying” and wrote “dislike” on an Instagram post announcing the series’ renewal of the show’s official Instagram page.

Wu later called her comments “ill-timed” and expressed that she was “so grateful” that she would be able to return for another season. She later said that she had initially expressed disappointment with the renewal because it meant that she’d have to give up “another project I was really passionate about” that “would have challenged” her “as an artist.”

Still, she apologized to her fans, saying that her initial reaction to the news “wasn’t nice, and I’m sorry for that.”

Although season 6 of “Fresh Off The Boat” became the last season of the show, then-president of ABC, Karey Burke, stated that it was not Wu’s fault that the show was canceled. “Constance actually was incredible this season on the show, and we were thrilled to have her there,” she said.

“[Ending the series] really was a joint decision between us and [20th Century Fox] and the creators. [We all felt] that, given the life of these characters, it was time to move on,” she continued. “Eddie’s graduating from high school and moving out of the house. It just felt like it’s coming to its natural story conclusion.”

“I haven’t been on social media in almost 3 years,” she began her lengthy statement. “Tbh, I’m a little scared, but I’m dipping my toe back in to say I’m here and while I was gone I wrote a book called Making a Scene.”

“This next part is hard to talk about…but I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it,” she wrote. “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,” she continued. “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 said that “scary moment” made her “reassess a lot” in her life as she took time away from her career to focus on her mental health. However, she found herself without a lot of support.

“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,” she wrote. “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 tough time.”

At the end of her post, she said that she feels “OK enough to venture back on here (at least for a little bit)” after “a lot of therapy.” She concluded her post, saying, “And 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.”