Constance Wu’s Tweets Were Not the Reason ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Is Cancelled. This Is.
Fresh Off the Boat is coming to an end this season. After six years, America will say goodbye to the Huang family. However, if star Constance Wu had her way, it would have ended in five. Her negative reaction to the season 6 renewal caused a stir in May 2019. This year, ABC did not renew the show, but that’s entirely coincidental, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke says.
Burke spoke with the Television Critics Association on January 8 about ABC’s upcoming slate of programming. One reporter asked her directly if the Fresh Off the Boat cancellation had any relation to Constance Wu’s earlier comments. Here’s what led to this and what Burke said is the real reason Fresh Off the Boat is ending.
Why Constance Wu want out of ‘Fresh Off the Boat’
Constance Wu deleted her angry tweets when Fresh Off the Boat got renewed in May 2019, but the record of her reaction remains. She first tweeted, “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F*ck.” She later added, “F*cking hell.”
Even when fans tried to congratulate her on the good news of her show’s renewal, Constance Wu replied, “no, it’s not.” Fans of Fresh Off the Boat weren’t happy to see the star of the show badmouth it. Wu later explained and apologized in a statement:
“I love FOTB. I was temporarily upset yesterday not bc I hate the show but bc its renewal meant I had to give up another project that I was really passionate about. So my dismayed social media replies were more about that other project and not about FOTB. But I understand how that could feel interconnected and could get muddled. 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.”
Constance Wu statement, 5/11/19
Constance Wu revealed the project in question was a play that conflicted with Fresh Off the Boat’s schedule. Burke accepted her apology. “Everyone took Constance at her word that she was apologetic,” Burke said on August, 5 2019.
ABC didn’t hold a grudge towards Constance Wu
Today, Burke made it clear that Constance Wu’s tweets had nothing to do with their decision to end Fresh Off the Boat.
“No, none whatsoever,” Burke said. “Constance actually was incredible this season on the show and we were thrilled to have her there.”
Here’s why ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ is really ending
Based on the real Eddie Huang’s autobiographical book, Fresh Off the Boat told the story of the Huang family coming to America in the ‘90s. By the end of season six, Eddie’s story will end. Constance Wu plays Eddie’s mother Jessica.
“It really was a joint decision between us, the studio and the creators that given the life of these characters, it was time to move on,” Burke said. “Eddie’s graduating from school and moving out of the house. It just felt like it reached its natural conclusion.”
