by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Fresh Off The Boat has earned high praise from critics and audiences alike for its bold jokes and refreshing portrayals of Asian Americans, but there is one person who is still unhappy with the ABC family sitcom.
Eddie Huang, the restauranteur whose life and book inspired the sitcom, took to Twitter after last night’s episode aired and blasted the ABC comedy. In his latest series of tweets, Huang said he was disappointed that the show did not accurately depict his life and admitted that he has stopped watching episodes.
For the record I don't watch #FreshOffTheBoat on @ABCNetwork
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
I'm happy people of color are able to see a reflection of themselves through #FreshOffTheBoat on @ABCNetwork but I don't recognize it.
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
My only goal was to represent my Taiwanese-Chinese-American experience & I did that. We also proved viewers want diverse content so make it!
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
I had to say something because I stood by the pilot. After that it got so far from the truth that I don't recognize my own life.
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
I don't think it is helping us to perpetuate an artificial representation of Asian American lives and we should address it.
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
In February, Huang wrote an essay in New York Times Magazine that outlined his regrets and frustrations about how ABC watered down his brash and raw account of his upbringing, which included tales of domestic violence, bullying and arrests for assault. He called the television adaptation of his memoir a “cornstarch story.”
My relationship to hip hop & back culture rose from being the victim of domestic violence. It's not a game. That music meant something to me
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
My grandma had bound feet, my grandpa committed suicide, HRS tried to take us from my parents. That shit was real.
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
I understand this is a comedy but the great comics speak from pain: Pryor, Rock, Louis… This show had that opportunity but it fails
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
Why do sitcoms have to avoid real issues and instead appropriate the symptoms of our problems for entertainment? I don't accept this.
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
People defend the institution of sitcoms & normalcy saying we should take our real stories to cable/web but that's information SEGREGATION!
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
Sitcoms are the shit they are because we accept them…
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) April 8, 2015
In a February interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Huang gave the series a “B” and expressed hope that future episodes tackle the issue of domestic violence.
“They tried to take my brother away and my parents away from my family because of domestic violence, and it’s something I really struggled with as a kid,” he said. “I feel like if we are going to talk about Asian families, it’s something we should discuss and think about how we can address.”
What are your thoughts on Eddie Huang’s criticism on Fresh Off The Boat? Let us know in the comments below.
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Featured image courtesy of ABC/Bob D’Amico
