Actor Constance Wu has revealed that she nearly died by suicide in 2019, following widespread social media backlash to a series of tweets she posted expressing frustration with the renewal of Fresh Off the Boat, on which she starred at the time.
In a statement announcing her tentative return to Twitter, the Hustlers and Crazy Rich Asians star said she “was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it.”
“After a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy I feel OK enough to venture back on here (at least for a little bit). 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,” Constance wrote.
In May 2019, Constance, then starring on ABC’s groundbreaking sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” posted several tweets expressing frustration with the network renewing the show for what became its final season. “So upset right now that I’m literally crying,” she said, in a now-deleted tweet on the day the network made the announcement.
After intense uproar on social media, Constance later explained her frustration was because the show’s renewal meant she “had to give up another project that I was really passionate about,” she wrote on Twitter. “So my dismayed social media replies were more about that other project and not about FOTB.”
On Thursday, she went on to detail that among the “severe” social media comments she received in response to her tweets were messages “from a fellow Asian actress,” who told Constance “I’d become a blight on the Asian American community.”
“I started feeling like I didn’t even deserve to live anymore,” Constance wrote on Thursday, describing how the messages had made her feel like “a disgrace” to Asian Americans.
“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.”
Constance described how the situation “made me reassess a lot in my life,” including getting off social media and pausing her career to prioritise her mental health. She urged fellow Asian Americans to talk more about mental health and not avoid “the more uncomfortable issues within our community.”
The actor, who is currently starring on the Amazon series The Terminal List, also revealed that she wrote a book called Making A Scene, “to reach out and help people talk about the uncomfortable stuff in order to understand it, reckon with it, and open pathways to healing.”
“If we want to be seen, really seen ... we need to let all of ourselves be seen, including the parts we’re scared of or ashamed of — parts that, however imperfect, require care and attention,” she said. “And we need to stop beating each other (and ourselves) up when we do.”
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.