Hollywood star Constance Wu says she attempted suicide after Twitter backlash
Hollywood actress Constance Wu has said she tried to take her own life almost three years ago following a social media backlash.
In 2019, the Fresh Off the Boat star tweeted an expletive-filled complaint after the sitcom was renewed for a sixth season.
Wu said the following day that she had made the posts while "temporarily upset", adding that the renewal meant giving up another project she was passionate about.
In her return to social media after almost three years, the Golden Globes-nominated actress said she had experienced "internet shaming that got severe" and was told by a fellow actress of Asian descent that she'd become "a blight on the Asian American community".
Wu, also known for popular films Hustlers and Crazy Rich Asians, said she consequently attempted to take her life, but a friend rushed her to hospital.
"I started feeling like I didn't deserve to live anymore. That I was a disgrace to [Asian Americans]," she wrote in a Twitter statement on Thursday.
Many Twitter users shared support for Wu after her revelation on Friday, and her post has been shared almost 10,000 times.
She revealed that she spent the past few years away from Hollywood and social media in order to attend therapy and focus on her mental health.
She has also been writing a collection of essays.
"[Asian Americans] 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 out community," she said.
She added that her upcoming book, named Making a Scene, is a way of helping people "talk about the uncomfortable stuff" and "open pathways to healing".
Wu stars in a new Amazon Prime Video action thriller series The Terminal List alongside Chris Pratt and Taylor Kitsch.
Where to go to get support with your mental health
Ring the following free helplines
Samaritans - 116 123
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men - 0800 58 58 58
Papyrus – for people under 35 - 0800 068 41 41
Childline – for children and young people -19 0800 1111
If you've seriously harmed yourself ring 999
For interviews with some of showbiz's most exciting names, listen to the Unscripted podcast