Constance Wu Reflects on Suicide Attempt After Twitter Backlash

Constance Wu has reflected on the time she spent at a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt that was fueled by the backlash she received from her tweets about "Fresh Off the Boat."

The "Crazy Rich Asians" star sparked outrage in 2019 when she wrote on Twitter that she was "really upset" about the show's renewal, People noted. Fans said she was not appreciative of her position on the ABC comedy. It was only years later that she came forward with claims of harassment and intimidation during the show's first two seasons, according to Insider.

Speaking during an appearance on this week's new episode of Facebook Watch's "Red Table Talk," Wu admitted to co-hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield Norris that the response to her tweets sent her into a downward spiral.

"After reading these DMs from an Asian actress, I just got in this state. Like my palms are still itching when I think about it," the 40-year-old actor explained on the show. "A friend who had come to check on me pulled me over from climbing over the ledge and dragged me into the elevator and took me into a cab and took me to a psychiatric emergency room where they checked me in and I slept the night on a cot in the waiting room in the psychiatric E.R. in New York City under observation."

Wu explained that she spoke to two counselors the following morning and had to attend therapy with a psychiatrist and a psychologist "every day for a while." Receiving professional help for her mental health was a turning point.

"It was helpful. I needed it," Wu admitted. "I was unsafe at that point. I was in a mental place of just beating myself. And so much shame. And just feeling like — feeling like I didn't deserve to live. Feeling like the world hated me. Feeling like I ruined everything for everyone. Maybe I did for some people but, you know, you make mistakes, right?"

Wu first came forth with her experience earlier this year in a statement on Twitter following time away from social media, saying that it was a "scary moment that made me reassess a lot in my life."

The star has since written a book, "Making a Scene," which was released Tuesday and recounts deeply personal moments from her life across essays. Speaking out now, Wu said she aims to "reach out and help people talk about this in order to understand it, reckon with it, and open pathways to healing."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

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