Breaking the Silence: Constance Wu returns to social media after battling thoughts of suicide

Actress Constance Wu put her mental health before her career.

Few of Constance Wu's fans knew how deeply she was affected by the social media storm that followed her controversial tweet after her show, Fresh Off the Boat, was renewed for another season.

She was so distraught, she left social media for three years and contemplated suicide.

“Looking back, it’s surreal a few DMs convinced me to end my own life, but that’s what happened,” Wu wrote in a tweet today (Thursday, July 14). It was the first tweet from the Asian American actress in three years in what she called a slow return to social media.

Based on the roles she plays and her earlier social media posts, the image Wu presented to the public was one of a self-assured, feisty woman overcoming the racist and sexist environment of her industry.

As we later learned, that image was a cover for a sensitive, vulnerable actress, who like many others in her field, wore her emotions on her sleeve at the ready, in case those feelings are needed for a character she was playing.

In 2019, Wu tweeted her disappointment that the show that boosted her career, Fresh Off The Boat, was given a sixth season, writing, “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. Fuck.” 

The backlash was immediate and vicious, portraying her as "selfish" and "ungrateful" and not thinking about the hundreds of other workers and actors employed by the series.

In an attempt to calm the waters from her fans and fellow actors, she later said that she “was temporarily upset” because the renewal meant she “had to give up another project that I was really passionate about,” and her apparent displeasure had nothing to do with her show. 

Still, her comments went viral, with many people in the entertainment business inferred that she was ungrateful for the opportunity the show had given her.

Wu said  that she felt that she had become "a blight on the Asian American community. I started feeling like I didn't deserve to live anymore.

"Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER,: she continued. It was after that scary event that she decided to reassess her life. Just as she was getting momentum in Hollywood, for the next few years, Wu decided to put her mental health ahead of her career.

After the roaring success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, she disappeared from social media and foregoing the publicity circuit of talk shows and media interviews for her 2019 movie  Hustlers with megastar Jennifer Lopez and The Terminal List, the Netflix film that debuted earlier this month.

Last Tuesday, July 12, she made a cautious return to social media explaining her absence from the public eye. It was in this post that she revealed that she made an attempt to take her own life.

She decided to use her "scary moment" as a teaching device and to reach out to others who are in a similar situation. Instead of being ashamed of the low point in her mental health and keep it to herself, she wrote a book and began taking small steps in returning to social media. 

"Even though I'm scared, I've decided I owe it to the me-of-three -years-ago, to be brave and share my story so it might help someone with theirs," Wu concluded. 

Following is Constance Wu's initial tweet upon returning to social media.

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And then, this morning, (July 16) Wu followed up with this information:

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TGIF Feature: ABC says Fresh Off the Boat ending has nothing to do with Constance Wu

Constance Wu was a breakout star of the series 'Fresh Off the Boat.'

ASAM NEWS

ABC entertainment president Karey Burke denied to the media at the ABC Winter Television Critics Association tour that actress Constance Wu had anything to do with the cancellation of Fresh Off the Boat.

Wu caused a stir on social media last year when she expressed her dismay that the show had been renewed a fifth season. The Golden Globe nominated actress tweeted back then “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F*ck.” She later added, “F*cking hell.”

She would later explain it was a momentary reaction to losing an opportunity to work on a coveted project due to a scheduling conflict presented when ABC renewed FOTB in 2018.

In a tweet she explained that her initial reaction was because the show's renewal meant she would have to give up a project she was looking forward to doing.

"People 'assumed' that I meant I don't love and enjoy FOTB. But I do love and enjoy it. I hope you believe me," she wrote.

"These words are my truth. I hope you hear them."

After that controversy, late last year, ABC announced Fresh Off the Boat would be ending after its series finale in February.

Wednesday (Jan. 8), Burke made it clear the network holds no grudges against Wu.

“No, none whatsoever,” the Cheat Sheet reported Burke said at the TCA tour.

“Constance actually was incredible this season on the show, and we were thrilled to have her there,” said Burke, according to TV LIne. 

(Ending the series) "really was a joint decision between us and [20th Century Fox] and the creators. [We all felt] that, given the life of these characters, it was time to move on. Eddie’s graduating from high school and moving out of the house. It just felt like it’s coming to its natural story conclusion.”

The network is developing a possible spin off to Fresh Off the Boat. It will focus on an Indian American family whose daughter attends school with Eddie. The characters will be introduced in an upcoming FOTB episode and will star Vir Das as father DC and Preity G. Zinta as the mother, Meena.

Its a wrap for 'Fresh Off the Boat'

The groundbreaking show Fresh Off the Boat finished taping it's last episode Dec. 20. 

It was an emotional moment for the cast members, who have been together the last six years, especially for Hudson Yang, who played Eddie Huang. "I'm not afraid to say I cried," Yang posted in a tweet along with photo of him crying as he said goodbye.

"I love my #Freshofftheboat family," he continued. "I always will."

The show was historic in that it centered on an Asian American family as they adjusted to life in suburban Florida in the decade of the 1990s. It was originally based on the memoirs of restaurateur Eddie Huang,

“We couldn’t be prouder of this game-changing show and the impact it has had on our cultural landscape. The success of ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ has helped pave the way for inclusion throughout the industry,” said ABC entertainment president Karey Burke. 

“Nahnatchka Khan and her brilliant creative team have created an unforgettable series with an Asian-American family front and center, something that hadn’t been done in two decades. The cast, led by Randall Park and Constance Wu, is one of the finest and funniest on television. We’ll miss the Huang family and are eternally grateful for the incredibly heartfelt stories they have told these past six seasons.”
It made Constance Wu and Randall Park recognizable names and faces in America's living rooms. It opened the doors for other shows to star Asian American actors or to have them play prominent roles in ensemble dramas. 

Besides Yang, Wu and Park, the rest of the cast included: Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen, Lucille Soong, Chesley Crisp and Ray Wise.
Most importantly, it showed that the immigrant experience was an American story and depicted Asian Americans as human beings.

The last episode will air on ABC on Feb. 21.

Say goodbye to the Huang family; 'Fresh Off the Boat' cancelled

Groundbreaking ABC comedy Fresh Off the Boat will conclude its critically acclaimed six-season run on ABC, Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment, announced Friday. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the situation comedy's producers requested the show’s cancelation so that they could end it on their own terms. ABC's hour-long series finale will air next year on February 21, 8-9 p.m. EST.

“We couldn’t be prouder of this game-changing show and the impact it has had on our cultural landscape. The success of Fresh Off the Boat has helped pave the way for inclusion throughout the industry.

"Nahnatchka Khan and her brilliant creative team have created an unforgettable series with an Asian American family front and center, something that hadn’t been done in two decades. The cast, led by Randall Park and Constance Wu, is one of the finest and funniest on television. We’ll miss the Huang family and are eternally grateful for the incredibly heartfelt stories they have told these past six seasons,” Burke said.

“I’m so proud of the show and what we’ve accomplished over the past six seasons,” said series creator Khan. “Thank you to everyone at ABC and 20th Century Fox Television for going on this ride with us. It was truly a special experience and hopefully will forever be a reminder of all the stories out there that deserve to be told. Like B.I.G. said, ‘And if you don’t know, now you know.’”

Originally based on the memoir of Eddie Huang growing up in the Orlando suburbs. FOB stars Randall Park as Louis Huang, Constance Wu as his wife Jessica, Hudson Yang as Eddie, Forrest Wheeler as Emery, Ian Chen as Evan, Lucille Soong as Grandma Huang, Chelsey Crisp and Ray Wise as neighbors Honey and Marvin.

Set in the 1990s, the series follows the experiences of hip-hop-loving Eddie Huang and his family. In this final season, the Huang family is at a crossroads. Jessica is becoming an educator (teacher boss); Louis is trying to expand himself outside running the restaurant by becoming a business consultant; Eddie is weighing whether to attend college or to take a different path; Emery is trying acting; and even Evan tries out pukka shells and a new nickname!

When FOB debuted six years ago the show was hailed as the first sitcom to ffocus on an Asian American family since All American Girl with Margaret Cho 25 years earlier. The real Eddie Huang served as the off-camera narrator in the series' first season. The second season saw his role reduced as a consultant. He left the show over creative difference

The show began to evolve around the entire family as the role of Eddie became less of the focus. Chu and Park as the Huang parents took on a bigger part of the show.

It can be argued that the critical success of FOB spawned a whole bevy of shows that featured Asian Americans in nontraditional roles and opened the minds of networks about the possibilities of diversifying its fare of dramas and sitcoms.

FOB could very well have a spinoff in the works in an episode due to air later this month about an Indian American immigrant family.

Fresh Off the Boat was not the first AAPI family leading a show on American television, but because of its historic role, there's reason to believe -- and, hope and pray -- that it won't be the last.

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Indian American family featured in possible spinoff from Fresh Off the Boat

Preity G. Zinta, left, and Vir Das have been cast in a 'Fresh Off the Boat' episode that might spin off.

ASAM NEWS

Two leads have been named to star in a potential spinoff of Fresh off the Boat. The new show now in development would center around an Indian American family whose daughter goes to school with Eddie Huang (Hudson Yang), reports Variety.
The show is tentatively titled "Magic Motor Inn" and would star Vir Das as father DC and Preity G. Zinta as the mother, Meena.

Both characters will be introduced in a Fresh off the Boat episode which is scheduled to be shot in mid-November. If successful, a formal pilot will be ordered.

According to Forbes, writer-producer Rachna Fruchbom will be writing the new series. The Indian American scriptwriter is currently under a deal with 20th Century Fox. She is currently a supervising producer of Fresh off the Boat after moving up from a writer position. 

Vir Das is a YouTube star and actor and has two Netflix specials. Variety named him one of the top ten comedians to watch in 2017. The highly popular Zinta has starred in 37 Bollywood films.

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Constance Wu gets real about Twitter storm

CONSTANCE WU

ASAM NEWS

Riding high after the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Constance Wu came crashing back down to earth following social media backlash over her negative comments about the renewal of Fresh Off the Boat.
She opened up about what she learned from the incident in an interview with the Los Angeles Times and admitted her initial reaction to possibly losing a movie role she had coveted was overdramatic

“I had this moment of heat where I got upset because I had to give up a job I had been looking forward to and had been chasing for a while,” she said to the Times.

Wu revealed for the first time that the role she had to give up because of her commitments to Fresh Off the Boat was a “not Asian-specific” part in a play, not in a movie as many had wrongly assumed.

Even though her social media following has grown to 1 million, she admits she didn’t realize the enormous power and responsibility that comes with that.

“I’m not beating myself up for it, because I know me,” said Wu. “But I don’t think I realized that people were paying so much attention to my Twitter.”

The self-described “fiasco” propped up rumors that Wu acted like a diva on the set. She says her fellow actors have come to her support.

“It was moving to me how many people from the show reached out to me, and even on set … to say, ‘Just so you know, we love you and we know who you are, and you didn’t deserve any of that stuff.’ Because they also know that I’m an actress — I can be dramatic.

Wu will co-star with Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B in Hustlers, which hits the screens Sept.13.

“I know some people were like, ‘Constance demanded top billing.’ No, the script had me as the lead. But it’s a juicier story to say the other stuff.

“I am grateful for my entire career,” she said. “But the fact that my career has been historic shouldn’t necessarily be a call (to say to) me, ‘You should be so lucky’ — it should be a call to pay attention to the fact that this kind of thing shouldn’t have been historic. Me getting to play a fully human experience as an Asian American, that shouldn’t be historic. But it is. 

"Let’s talk about the system, not whether or not I deserve to be in it and how I need to feel about it.”

Wu says she’s learned and predicted there will be no further social media “blow ups” from her.

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