Constance Wu Reveals She Attempted Suicide Over ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Backlash

Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu returned to Twitter on July 14 after a three-year absence. She left in 2019 after some comments she made about the renewal of Fresh Off the Boat sparked backlash. Now starring on The Terminal List, Wu explained her absence. Content warning: This story deals with suicide. 

The ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ backlash made Constance Wu attempt suicide

When ABC renewed Fresh Off the Boat for its sixth season, Wu was not happy. She publicly posted her disappointment and further explained that the show would conflict with a passion project. The sixth season would be the show’s last, though ABC deflected questions about Wu’s desire for the show to end. Wu left social media, but now reveals the reactions affected her even more deeply.

“I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it,” Wu wrote. “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.”

A friend intervened in Constance Wu’s suicide attempt

Wu did not go into detail about her suicide attempt except to say that a friend found her in time and got her help. Once recovered, Wu did some personal work, including therapy and writing her memoir, Making a Scene.

“Looking back, it’s surreal that a few DMs convinced me to end my own life, but that’s what happened,” Wu wrote. “Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER. It was a scary moment that made me reassess a lot in my life. For the next few years, I put my career aside to focus on my mental health. AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough. While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issue within our community.”

The lesson from the ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ situation

Wu apologized for expressing her disappointment with Fresh Off the Boat in the way she did. However, she alerted colleagues and fans to behavior that only exacerbated the situation.

“Even my tweets became a subject so touchy that most of my AsAm colleagues decided that was the time to avoid me or ice me out,” Wu said. “I’ll admit it hurt a lot, but it also made me realize how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time.”

Wu concluded that she hopes coming forward brings more attention to the complexities of representation she hopes to address in media. 

“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,” Wu wrote. “And we need to stop beating each other (and ourselves) up when we do.”

• How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.