By Ashley Gale
Off-Platform Staff Writer
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Actress Constance Wu said she attempted suicide following a direct message from an actress allegedly saying she has become a "blight on the Asian community."
For the first time in three years, the Crazy Rich Asians actress took to social media. She posted a lengthy statement in regards to why she was gone for so long. She discussed upcoming projects and explained a dark time in her life.
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"I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it: 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," Wu wrote.
"I felt awful about what I'd said, and when a few DMs from a fellow Asian American 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 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," she continued.
She wrote how she took a break from the internet and focused on her mental health. While she was receiving backlash for her tweets, she said that most of her Asian American co-stars decided to "avoid or ice her out"
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"I'll admit that it hurt a lot, but it also made me realize how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time," she said.
The tweets that Wu received backlash on was the announcement that her successful ABC series, Fresh Off the Boat, was picked up for a sixth season. In an series of tweets, Wu says that she was "so upset" that it was renewed. She replied to a tweet from a user congratulating her on Season 6 while Wu wrote "No it's not."
Wu announced that within the three years she was off social media, she wrote a book titled Making a Scene and that she has been to "a lot" of therapy and is ready to slowly make her way back online. What she went through is the reason why she wrote her book.
"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. If we want to be seen, really seen... we need to let all of ourselves be seen, including the parts we're scared of or ashamed of-parts that, however imperfect, require care and attention," she wrote.
Wu is currently starring in Amazon's newest series The Terminal List alongside Chris Pratt, now streaming on Amazon Prime.
If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours every day.
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