It’s been four years since Crazy Rich Asians elevated Constance Wu—already the star of Fresh Off The Boat, a highly successful sitcom on ABC—into the realms of movie-stardom. But that’s also been a period that’s been paradoxically quiet for the actor, who only recently returned to regular acting with a starring role in Netflix’s The Terminal List.
Now, Wu has opened up about retreating from both Hollywood and social media—and, more shockingly, revealed that she attempted to take her own life three years ago, in the midst of controversy about tweets she made about Fresh Off The Boat getting renewed for a new season.
“It ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe,” Wu writes, referring to an incident in 2019 in which she greeted news that Fresh would be getting a sixth season renewal with a number of comments that suggested she was unhappy about the news.
Wu, who writes that she “almost lost her life” to social media during the incident:
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.
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Wu says that the subsequent period of self-reflection, and focusing on her mental health, inspired her to write a new book, 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.”
Wu ends her statement by noting that, “after a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy I feel OK to venture back on [social media].”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255.