Constance Wu says she attempted suicide following Fresh Off The Boat backlash

Constance Wu has said she attempted suicide after facing a backlash over comments she made about the renewal of her TV series Fresh Off The Boat.

In a statement marking her return to Twitter after nearly three years, the American actress said she was “afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it”.

She added: “Three years ago, when I made careless tweets about the renewal of my TV show, it ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe.”

The Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers star, who turned 40 in March, posted a series of tweets in 2019 after comedy series Fresh Off The Boat was picked up for a sixth season by US TV network ABC.

While her fellow cast members shared their delight, Wu, who had starred on the show since 2015, tweeted: “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F***.”

When a user congratulated her on the renewal, describing it as “great news”, Wu replied: “No it’s not.”

She later clarified that her comments “came on the heels of rough day” and were “ill-timed”, and that the show being renewed had meant she would be unable to pursue a passion project.

In her statement on Thursday, Wu addressed those comments, saying: “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 any more.

“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.”

Wu said she had written a book, titled Making A Scene, about her experience and that she wanted to help others who had gone through similar things.

Concluding her statement, Wu said that “after a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy,” she felt “OK enough” to return to social media.

“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,” she added.

Wu also shared a link with her Twitter followers to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Fresh Off The Boat debuted in 2015 and is loosely based on a book of the same name by chef Eddie Huang.

– Help can be found by calling the Samaritans free of charge at any time on 116 123 or by email at jo@samaritans.org or visit Samaritans.org.