Constance Wu

Constance Wu was born on March 22, 1982, in Richmond, Virginia, to Taiwanese immigrant parents. She grew up in a traditional household and developed a passion for performing at a young age. Wu studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the State University of New York at Purchase. After graduation, she spent years in the trenches of the entertainment industry, taking on small television and theater roles before getting her big break.

Wu rose to prominence with her starring role as Jessica Huang in the ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” (2015-2020), based on chef Eddie Huang’s memoir. The show was groundbreaking as the first network television sitcom in over 20 years to feature an Asian American family, following the cancellation of Margaret Cho’s “All-American Girl” in 1995. Wu’s performance earned her widespread recognition and established her as a leading voice for Asian American representation in Hollywood.

Her film career reached new heights with “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), directed by Jon M. Chu, in which she played the lead role of Rachel Chu. The film was a historic milestone as the first major Hollywood studio film with an all-Asian cast since “The Joy Luck Club” (1993). It grossed over $238 million worldwide against a $30 million budget and became a cultural phenomenon. Wu followed this with a critically acclaimed performance in “Hustlers” (2019) alongside Jennifer Lopez, playing a real-life stripper who participated in a scheme to defraud wealthy men.

With a net worth estimated at $5 million in 2026, Wu has built her wealth through her television and film career. In 2022, she published her memoir “Making a Scene,” in which she candidly discussed her struggles with mental health, including a suicide attempt prompted by online backlash she received after controversial tweets about the renewal of Fresh Off the Boat. Her openness about mental health has made her an advocate for destigmatizing these issues in the entertainment industry.