Constance Wu tweeted today, for the first time in “almost 3 years,†to announce an upcoming book, Making a Scene, and to speak openly about why she has been off social media and staying fairly private. The book, out in October, is described by publisher Simon and Schuster as “a powerful and poignant memoir-in-essays†including “private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she ‘made it’ in Hollywood.â€
The rest of Wu’s note is devoted to getting candid about her mental health and her tweets about the renewal of Fresh Off the Boat in 2019, which “ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe.†After the ABC sitcom she starred in was renewed for a sixth season, Wu tweeted, “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. Fuck†and “fucking hell.†Wu later clarified her reactions, but as she writes in her note, “I almost lost my life†from the severity of the outrage and backlash.
Wu writes, “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. 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 says she took a small break from acting to focus on mental health and therapy (she also had a baby in 2020), and she laments the lack of transparency about mental-health issues among Asian Americans. “While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community,†she wrote. Wu followed up the note with a link to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline website, phone number, and texting service.