By Randall Yip, AsAmNews Executive Editor
Actress Constance Wu took to social media Thursday to reveal she attempted suicide after what she described as “careless tweets” about the renewal of her TV show, Fresh Off the Boat.
Less than a year after the release of Crazy Rich Asians, Wu responded negatively when ABC announced it would renew the groundbreaking Fresh off the Boat for a sixth season.
In a series of tweets which have since been taken down, Wu wrote “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F—-” and “F—ing hell.”
The production schedule of the TV series would mean she would have to turn down a coveted role in a play she greatly wanted to accept.
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“It ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe,” she said today. “When the 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 deserve to live anymore…It’s surreal that a few DMs convinced me to end my own life.”
She said a friend found her and rushed her to the ER. It forced her to “reassess her life” and put her career on hold and to take a long break from social media.
Today’s tweet was her first since then.
She said the controversy caused colleagues to “avoid me and ice me out. I’ll admit it hurt a lot.”
She urged the Asian American community to take the issue of mental health head on.
“AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough,” she said. While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community…it made me realize how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time.”
She followed up the tweet with another promoting the Suicide Prevention Hotline.
She wrote about the experience in a new book, Making a Scene, which is due out in October and available now in pre-orders.
If you order the book in advance through this link, AsAmNews will receive 10% of the sale.
Wu is currently appearing in the original Amazon Prime series The Terminal List with Chris Pratt.
She’lll follow that up with her starring role in the movie Lyle Lyle Crocodile which is due out in theaters October 7.
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