Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please call the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Canada’s Talk Suicide 1-833-456-4566.
After a nearly three-year hiatus from social media, actress Constance Wu returned to her online platforms Thursday to share that she attempted suicide in 2019 after a series of poorly received tweets.
The “Hustlers” and “Crazy Rich Asians” actress, whose memoir will be released this fall, wrote that while she was “afraid to get back on social media because [she] almost lost [her] life out of it,” she wanted to share her story to start a larger conversation with Asian Americans about mental health.
After her ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat was renewed for a sixth season in May 2019, Wu appeared distraught by the news, tweeting, “So upset right now I’m literally crying. Ugh,” followed by expletives. She later said she sent the tweets “on the heels of a tough day and was not up to date (with) news about the show.”
But the backlash was swift and severe, Wu said in a new statement on Twitter. Countless users, including some fellow actors, criticized her for appearing ungrateful for the success of her series, which was one of the few sitcoms with an all-Asian cast in central roles. When another Asian actress messaged her and said she had “become a stain on the Asian American community,” Wu said she felt like she “didn’t deserve to live anymore.”
She survived her suicide attempt and put her acting career on hold to focus on her mental health for the past few years, she said. But now she’s returning to social media, she explained, “to share (her) story so she can help someone with theirs.
“If we want to be noticed, really noticed…we must allow all of ourselves to be noticed, including the parts we fear or are ashamed of—parts that, however imperfect, require care and attention.” she writes.
Wu has resumed acting, recently appearing in the Amazon Prime series “The Terminal List” alongside Chris Pratt, and she stars in the upcoming children’s film “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” with Javier Bardem.
Add Comment