ABC has no plans of recasting Constance Wu on “Fresh Off the Boat” following a social media uproar the 37-year-old actor had set last week.
Just after the announcement of the show’s sixth season, Wu posted a pair of mysterious tweets, with one saying “F***ing hell.”
So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. Fuck
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) May 10, 2019
Fucking hell.
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) May 10, 2019
When one fan responded with “Congrats on your renewal! Great news,” Wu bluntly replied “No it’s not.”
After netizens criticized her for such “privileged” reaction, Wu posted follow-up tweets and a lengthy statement explaining that it was all just a misunderstanding.
That was not a rampage, it was just how I normally talk. I say fuck a lot. I love the word. Y’all are making a lot of assumptions about what I was saying. And no, it’s not what it’s about. No it’s not..what this is all about. Stop assuming.
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) May 10, 2019
Todays tweets were on the heels of rough day&were ill timed w/the news of the show. Plz know, Im so grateful for FOTB renewal. I love the cast&crew. Im proud to be a part of it. For all the fans support, thank u & for all who support my casual use of the word fuck-thank u too😘
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) May 11, 2019
“I was temporarily upset yesterday not because I hate the show but because its renewal meant I had to give up another project that I was really passionate about,” Wu wrote. “So my dismayed social media replies were more about that other project and not about ‘FOTB.’”
“People ‘assumed’ that I meant I don’t love and enjoy ‘FOTB.’ But I do love and enjoy it. I hope you believe me.”
These words are my truth. I hope you hear them pic.twitter.com/l6SvbFcUlj
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) May 11, 2019
“Fresh Off the Boat” follows the Huang family — a mother, father, three young brothers and their Mandarin-speaking grandma — from Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown to Orlando in the mid-1990s.
Wu plays the mother, Jessica, a no-nonsense woman who believes in tough love and prefers the lifestyle in her home of Taiwan over that of the West.
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At a press briefing on Tuesday, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke addressed questions on Wu and announced that she will not be recast with another actress because “we love what she does on the show and we love the show.”
“I’m going to choose to believe Constance’s most recent communication about the show, that she is happy to return, and the cast and crew is happy to have her back and we’re thrilled to keep her in the show,” she said, according to E! News.
The Huangs are back! #FreshOffTheBoat is returning for Season 6! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/WvgDPT57AD
— Fresh off the Boat (@FreshOffABC) May 10, 2019
Burke added that she was aware of the other opportunity Wu would have pursued if “Fresh Off the Boat” had not gone forward.
However, she pointed out that they never really considered discontinuing the show as it is “just too strong for us and we love it.”
“Fresh Off the Boat” returns to ABC on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. beginning this fall.
Featured Images via Instagram / @freshofftheboatabc
