Constance Wu said she attempted suicide in the wake of the backlash she faced after responding negatively to the renewal of “Fresh Off the Boat,” in a social media post on Thursday in which she talked about her mental health.
“I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it,” she wrote.
Wu described the book she wrote while she took an almost three-year break from social media, along with the headspace she found herself in following messages responding to her tweets that sparked controversy at the time.
Three years ago, Wu reacted to the news of the renewal of “Fresh Off the Boat” in which she starred, tweeting that she was “so upset” because it meant she had to say no to “another project that [she] was really passionate about.”
Later in an interview with Variety, Wu shared that the project she turned down was a play.
“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,” she continued in her statement. “I felt awful about what I said, and when a few DMs from a fellow 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.”
The actress went on to explain how a few DMs she received “convinced me to end my own life,” but fortunately, “a friend found me and rushed me to the ER.”
Wu also talked about the importance of reaching out to those struggling with their mental health.
“AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough,” she wrote. “While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community.”
She cited a break from Hollywood and “a lot of therapy” as a factor in her return to social media.
“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,” her statement finished.