Actor Constance Wu is speaking out about sexual harassment she endured during the early seasons of the ABC sitcom she starred in, Fresh Off the Boat.
Wu spoke of the experience during a recent appearance at The Atlantic Festival in Washington, DC, revealing the extensive harassment and intimidation she received during the show's first two seasons.
Wu said she "kept [her] mouth shut for a really long time," fearing reprisal from the producer who victimized her if she spoke up.
Constance Wu Says She Faced Sexual Harassment on Fresh Off the Boat | E! Newsyoutu.be
Speaking to The Atlantic Festival audience, Wu said:
"I kept my mouth shut for a really long time about a lot of sexual harassment and intimidation that I received the first two seasons of the show."
"Because, after the first two seasons, once it was a success, once I was no longer scared of losing my job, that's when I was able to start saying 'no' to the harassment, 'no' to the intimidation, from this particular producer."
"And, so I thought: ‘You know what? I handled it, nobody has to know, I don't have to stain this Asian American producer's reputation, I don't have to stain the reputation of the show.'"
Wu detailed the experience and many others from her often tumultuous tenure on Fresh Off the Boat in a new memoir out next week titled Making a Scene.
She said it was her publisher Simon & Schuster that encouraged her to speak out about the experience.
"...I eventually realized it was important to talk about, because I did have a pretty traumatic experience in my first couple years on that show, and nobody knew about it."
"Because that show was historic for Asian Americans. And it was the only show on network television in over 20 years to star Asian Americans, and I did not want to sully the reputation of the one show we had representing us."
On Twitter, many applauded Wu for coming forward and expressed dismay at the harassment she experienced.
Wu has previously spoken out about how difficult her time on Fresh Off the Boat was, especially following an infamous 2019 tweet thread in which she expressed dismay the show was renewed because it precluded her appearing in a film.
The intense and abusive backlash to the tweet made her a pariah for a time, a harrowing experience she detailed earlier this year.
