Constance Wu Says Abuse From Fresh Off the Boat Producer Triggered Controversial Tweets About the Show's Renewal
Paul Dailly
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Constance Wu is speaking out about her time working on the hit ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat.
In 2019, the actress took to social media to express her dissatisfaction about the series being renewed.
"No it’s not," she wrote in response to a fan saying the pickup was great news.
She wrote “F—king hell” and “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F—k.”
The star subsequently followed up that she was “so grateful”about the renewal, before revealing later that week she had to pass on “another project I was really passionate about" as a result of her commitment to the series.
Wu went public recently about sexual harassment and emotional abuse from a producer on the series.
On Monday night, the star revealed that her upset about the renewal was due to what transpired behind-the-scenes of the series.
Wu also referenced the producer’s “inappropriate touching, the telling me to wear short skirts, the intimidation in the interview with Seth Meyers.
The actress recalls the abuse from the unnamed producer most occurring during the first two years of the series, revealing that she "felt a little bit of job security" and started "saying no."
These actions are said to have "infuriated" the producer, and the star wanted to stay silent about her time on the series.
However, Wu said that her reaction to the renewal in 2019 was a way for her to vent about what had happened.
“I feel like I was never able to really be myself on set, because I’d see my abuser being buddy-buddy with everybody else, knowing what he had done to me,” she shared.
“The thing I learned is that bad feelings and abuse don’t just go away because you will it to. It’s going to come out somewhere. People didn’t understand the context of those tweets.
“Thank you for not making fun of [the tweets], because it led me to a really dark time,” Wu told Seth Meyers.
“I decided to include [the tweet controversy] in the book because I think it’s important that we engage in curiosity and empathy before we go straight to judgment."
"Because if somebody does something out of character for them, it usually means something’s going on in their life.”
Earlier this year, Wu opened up about the backlash to the tweets from 2019 and how she tried to end her life as a result.
"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," Constance wrote.
"That I was a disgrace to AsAms, and they'd be better off 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." Wu said that the "scary moment" made her reassess "a lot in my life." "For the next few years, I put my career aside to focus on my mental health," Constance added.
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) July 14, 2022
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
