Hollywood star Constance Wu says she attempted suicide after Twitter backlash

Credit: AP

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.

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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.

Contance Wu (third from left) with her Fresh off the Boat co-stars in 2016. Credit: AP

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

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