“Crazy Rich Asians” star Constance Wu said the backlash she received from a series of tweets in 2019 led her to a suicide attempt.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday, the actor announced her return to social media after three years offline and experiencing mental health issues.
“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,” she wrote. “I felt awful about what I’d said, and 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.”
Wu shared that the messages drove her to attempt suicide, and a friend found her and rushed her to the hospital. She said since then she’s spent time away from her career and social media to focus on recovering.
Wu's representatives did not respond to NBC News' request for comment.
“AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough,” she wrote. “While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community.”
When the ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” in which Wu starred alongside Randall Park, was renewed for a sixth season in 2019, the actor went viral after she seemingly tweeted her disappointment.
“So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh,” she said in a deleted string of tweets previously screenshot in an NBC News story. When a fan congratulated her on the show’s renewal, calling it “Great news,” Wu replied, “No it’s not.”
She later posted again saying the tweets were “ill timed” and not related to the show’s renewal. Her statement Thursday detailed the personal and professional fallout that followed.
“Even my tweets became a subject so touchy that most of my AsAm colleagues decided that was the time to avoid me or ice me out,” she wrote. “I’ll admit 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.”
Wu also used her return to Twitter to share that she wrote a book. “Making a Scene,” a collection of Wu’s essays on trauma, childhood and being Asian in Hollywood, which will be released in October.
“That’s why I wrote my book and why 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,” she wrote. “If we want to be seen, really seen… we need to let all of ourselves be seen, including the parts we’re scared or ashamed of—parts that, however imperfect, require care and attention.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
