Awkwafina Quits Twitter After Addressing Criticism Over Her ‘Blaccent’

Awkwafina has announced that she is leaving Twitter.

On Saturday, the "Crazy Rich Asians" star, who has been called out for using a "blaccent" for years, addressed criticism of her usage of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), saying that her speech has been heavily influenced by her surroundings and that she has no intention of appropriating or exploiting Black culture.

Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, also announced that she is quitting Twitter, though she plans to keep her other social media pages.

"Well, I’ll see you in a few years, Twitter - per my therapist," she tweeted Saturday. "To my fans, thank you for continuing to love and support someone who wishes they could be a better person for you. I apologize if I ever fell short, in anything I did. You're in my heart always."

She continued, "I am retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter. Not retiring from anything else, even if I wanted to, and I didn't drunkenly hit someone with a shoehorn and now escaping as a fugitive. Also, [I] am [available] on all other socials that don't tell you to kill yourself!"

Awkwafina made the announcement shortly after responding to the criticism of her perceived "blaccent," which some critics have accused her of using for "comedic effect."

The 33-year-old Golden Globe winner released a letter via Twitter acknowledging the "historical context of the African American community in this country."

"And in life, linguistic acculturation, immigrant acculturation, and the inevitable passage of globalized internet slang all play a factor in the fine line between offense and pop culture," she added.

Awkwafina went on to write that as a non-Black person of color, she stands by the fact that she "will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backward toward the progress of any and every marginalized group."

The actress and former rapper insisted that mocking, belittling and being unkind at the expense of others has never been her nature.

The "Ocean's 8" star also mentioned that her immigrant background helped her carve an American identity off of the movies and TV shows she watched, her schoolmates at the public school she attended and her "undying love and respect for hip hop."

She added that Asian-Americans like her are still trying to figure out what the journey means for them and what's correct and don't belong to them. Awkwafina said that she is still learning and doing the personal work but wants to "spend the rest of my career doing nothing but uplifting our communities."

"We do this first by failing, learning, acknowledging, hearing and empathizing... And I will continue, tirelessly, to do just that," she concluded her letter.

In September last year, Awkwafina also addressed during an on-camera Reuters interview the criticism over her past use of a "blaccent" onscreen.

"You know, I'm open to the conversation," she said. "I think it really is something that I think is a little bit multi-faceted and layered."

Amid the controversy, Awkwafina has been praised for her efforts to promote diversity in Hollywood. BD Wong, who plays her dad on her show "Nora from Queens," said in a 2020 People interview that the actress has "hired a lot of women and a lot of people of color."