Constance Wu has said she attempted suicide after receiving a harsh backlash to ‘careless’ tweets she posted in 2019.
The actor returned to Twitter after almost three years, sharing a heartbreaking statement in which she said she had felt she ‘didn’t even deserve to live anymore’ and made an attempt to take her own life.
She wrote: “I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it: 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.
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“I felt awful about what I’d said, and when a few DMs [direct messages] 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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In 2019, Wu was met with a backlash on social media after expressing frustration about the renewal of her sitcom Fresh Off the Boat.
At the time, she tweeted: “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F**k” and “F**king hell.”
Wu later explained that her disappointment was due to the fact the show’s renewal meant she had to pull out of another project she felt ‘really passionate about’. She went on to say that her role in the sitcom had become ‘easy’ and that she was hoping to find more challenging work.
Opening up about the attempt to take her own life, she continued: “It was a scary moment that made me reassess a lot in my life.
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“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 issues within our community.
“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. I’ll admit it hurt a lot, but it also made me realise how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time.”
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She ended her statement by saying she felt it was the right time to share her story.
“After a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy I feel OK enough to venture back on here (at least for a little bit),” she wrote.
“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.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
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Topics: Celebrity, Mental Health
Claire Reid