Constance Wu took a three-year break from social media, and with her first tweet back on the Twitter platform, she opened up about why she took the extended hiatus. Following the backlash she received over comments she made about the season six renewal of Fresh Off the Boat, the actress admits that she attempted suicide because the bashing she received became very brutal.
Here is what Wu had to say when she made her return to social media:
“I haven’t been on social media in almost 3 years. 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: 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. 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.”
This stems from a tweet Wu sent out on May 10, 2019, following the sixth-season renewal of her ABC comedy series, Fresh Off the Boat. After the announcement was made, Wu tweeted, “So upset right now that I’m literally crying.” The tweet’s timing was met with a lot of criticism because Wu had a big hit at the box office the previous summer with Crazy Rich Asians, and she had Hustlers opening in the fall of 2019, which also went on to be a hit. Some believed she was over doing her TV show and wanted to focus on films. Wu subsequently said that she had been misunderstood and was upset that the renewal meant she had to give up a passion project she was eager to make. Despite her attempt to diffuse the situation, many people thought the tweet and her explanation were disrespectful to her series co-stars and crew as well as to other Asian-American actresses who would have loved to be in her position to be on a hit comedy series going into its sixth year. It was a tweet that was certainly in poor taste, BUT I guarantee it wasn’t worthy of the visceral hate she probably received in DMs following the debacle. I can only imagine how bad it got and for other Asian actresses to call her a blight on the community, rather than giving her the tools to educate and make better of the situation, really makes them look bad as well.
Wu reveals that she took time off to focus on herself and her mental health. The actress felt like this was the right time to come back to the platform, no matter how scary it was, because she wanted to be there for anyone who might need help as she did. Other Asian American performers essentially iced her out after the tweet, and she felt isolated and alone. She doesn’t want anyone else to feel that way. That’s why she wrote her new book, “Making a Scene.” She says it’s not always flattering, but it’s honest, and that’s all that matters in the end. Wu has also returned to work, appearing opposite Chris Pratt on Prime Video’s The Terminal List.
What are YOUR thoughts on what Constance Wu went through following her Fresh Off the Boat Twitter backlash?