Constance Wu opened up about her suicide attempt after receiving backlash from her tweets back in 2019.
The Crazy Rich Asians actress, who has been off social media for the past three years, released a lengthy statement on Twitter to update followers on her current situation.
In 2019, when Constance’s show Fresh Off the Boat was renewed, the actress took to the platform with multiple, since-deleted tweets to explain her frustration with the news. “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F**k,” she wrote.
Although she later shut down her fans’ assumptions that it was about her show’s renewal, many people still responded and messaged the actress with nasty replies to her ill-timed words.
On Thursday, Constance made her return to social media to explain that the backlash she received from the ordeal in 2019 had caused her to almost take her own life.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
The actress then explained that she attempted suicide after the backlash she received and a friend rushed her to the emergency room after finding her in a compromised state.
Constance Wu put her career aside for 3 years to focus on mental health
The actress went on to explain her belief that Asian Americans don’t speak on mental health enough and that she felt it was necessary to put her career aside to focus on her own.
“While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community,” she continued. “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.”
Constance said that although her feelings were hurt, she realized how important it was to reach out to others who may be going through a tough time.
Constance Wu will focus on helping others defeat suicidal thoughts
The actress said the main reason she decided to return to social media was to help others who may be going through similar mental health struggles.
“That’s why I wrote my book and why I’m here today — to reach out and help people talk about the uncomfortable stuff in order to understand it, reckon with it, and open pathways to healing,” she wrote.
Over her three-year hiatus, she shared that she had taken the time to write her own book, Making a Scene. The memoir includes truthful moments from her childhood, including sexual assault, and how she made her “rise to fame” in Hollywood.
Constance ended her statement by saying that after copious amounts of therapy and a necessary break from the industry, she now feels comfortable enough to share her authentic story in the hopes that her experiences will help others.
She followed up with a link to the suicide prevention hotline and how those struggling can reach out for help.