For Constance Wu — like many regrettable moments in modern day life — it all started with a tweet. Or several tweets, actually.
This was in the spring of 2019. "Fresh Off the Boat,” the television show that Wu, 40, had starred in for the past five seasons, was up for renewal. It had been a landmark series — the first network show in more than 20 years to center on an Asian American family, based on the 2013 memoir of the same name by Eddie Huang, a writer, chef and television personality.
Wu played Jessica Huang, a fierce tiger mom inspired by Huang’s real-life mother, becoming one of the show’s breakout stars. But with its dwindling ratings, the show — which, at its peak, reached close to 7 million viewers in its first season — was limping to the finish line. Wu, expecting it to be canceled, says she had gotten ABC’s blessing to pursue other projects. Her co-star, Randall Park, was also exploring his options. Even its showrunner, Nahnatchka Khan, was leaving to work on something else.