Constance Wu Isn't the Only One: When TV Stars Bite the Hand That Feeds Them

Remember the old adage, “If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all”? Constance Wu sure didn’t.

It’s been a week since the Fresh Off the Boat star took to social media to express her dismay over the news that ABC had…renewed the sitcom that made her a breakout star for a sixth season, leaving the rest of us to wonder what, exactly, she was thinking.

“F–king hell,” Wu tweeted before telling a fan who said the renewal was great news, “No it’s not.”

Very quickly, it was clear that she’d rubbed plenty of people the wrong way. “Someone please tell Constance Wu that Melissa McCarthy was on Mike & Molly until 2016 and everything seems to be OK,” Keep It podcast co-host Louis Virtel tweeted. When Fox renewed The Orville for a third season, star and creator Seth MacFarlane shared the good news with a tweet that read, “Oh f–king goddamn hell f–kf–kdicks–t!” 

In fact, “f–king hell” became a bit of a meme for most folks celebrating their renewal announcements.

It became clear that Wu needed to clarify things—and fast. 

First she offered this: “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 &c rew. 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 f–k—thank u too.”

And when it became clear that that wouldn’t be enough, Wu issued a lengthy statement the following day in which she explained that the renewal had forced her to walk away from a new role that would’ve been more artistically challenging than the comfortable routine she’d settled into playing matriarch Jessica Huang for the past five seasons. As she explained, that’s what she was actually dismayed over. “But I understand how that could feel interconnected and could get muddled,” she said. “So here is me unmuddling it with my truth: FOTB is a great show that I’m proud of and that I enjoy. I’ve gotten to fully explore my character and I know her like the back of my hand. So playing Jessica is fun and easy and pleasant. I get to work with a kind and pleasant cast/crew. Which makes it all quite enjoyable—So obviously I don’t dislike doing a show that is fun and easy and pleasant.”

“People ‘assumed’ that that meant I don’t love and enjoy FOTB,” she continued. ‘But I do love and enjoy it. I hope you believe me. People can hold conflicting feelings in their hearts—that conflict is a part of being human. So I can both love the show/cast/crew but at the same time be disappointed that I lost that unrelated job. I appreciate those who have given me the space and faith to believe what I say about both parts of my heart. Thank you. It’s meaningful when you make the choice to believe women.”

While ABC has no plans of replacing their seemingly ungrateful star—Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, told press this week “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”—that hasn’t stopped those at her network from continuing to poke fun at her. 

During his annual appearance at ABC’s Upfronts presentation, Jimmy Kimmel displayed her tweets on the giant screen behind him in David Geffen Hall at NYC’s Lincoln Center while he cracked, “Only on ABC is getting your show picked up the worst thing that can happen to you. Sorry Constance, at least you got 9,300 likes”

Wu is far from the first TV star to bite the proverbial hand that feeds her, however. Take a look at all those who’ve come before her.

Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, Charmed

Paramount Pictures

Paul Wesley, The Vampire Diaries

The CW

Mandy Patinkin, Criminal Minds

Cliff Lipson/CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

Chevy Chase, Community

NBC

Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl

The CW

T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy, Worst TV Couples

Vivian Zink/ABC

Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Warner Bros.

The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder

The CW

Angus T. Jones

YouTube

Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat

ABC

Fresh Off the Boat returns for season six this fall on ABC.

source: eonline.com