Ming-Na Wen reveals her 90-year-old mother still ‘insults’ her accomplishments

Accomplished actor Ming-Na Wen, who has starred in several high-profile projects including “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” and Disney’s 1998 animated film “Mulan,” revealed on X this week that her 90-year-old mother continues to criticize her even after decades of professional success. “When my mother can still trigger me with insults when I show her something I’ve achieved. Yep, this is a reminder why I became an actor,” Wen wrote in her post shared Monday. “Thank you to my fans for their love and support. I need you today.” The message has since garnered more than 600,000 views and thousands of responses from fans around the world.

Wen’s admission drew an outpouring of encouragement from followers who praised her honesty and strength. On Threads, a user wrote, “If @MingNa can’t get approval from her mother, none of us are safe!” Others shared messages of empathy, writing that Wen’s openness reminded them to extend compassion to themselves and others facing family criticism. The comments section of her post was filled with messages of solidarity, many thanking her for “speaking truth to a shared struggle.”

On Reddit, many commenters from the Asian community shared similar experiences with parents whose pride often comes across through toxic criticism. “My mom always said you need to aim farther than where you really want to get. I think a lot of Asian parents just have this mindset,” one Reddit user wrote. Others discussed how immigrant family histories, rooted in survival and sacrifice, influence communication styles between parents and their children.

Lisa Cheng, chief of human resources at the Asian Mental Health Collective, told NextShark that such patterns often stem from generational trauma and learned behavior. “Our parents may not have had the tools or resources to recognize when things were toxic to them, and that can shape how they express love to us,” Cheng said.

Wen continued engaging with followers as the conversation grew. When a user shared that she was “in [her] sixties, with a mom in her 90s” and had learned to accept that her mother’s “hang ups are the reason why I’m never enough,” Wen responded, “Yes you are! I try to look at it with positivity. My mom’s lack in certain areas have made me strive to succeed. But sometimes, she can still hurt me. Even if it’s unintentional, as she’s just being her, it still stings.” In another reply, she admitted, “Most of the time, I joke about it. But today wasn’t one of those times.”

Later that same day, Wen replied to the responses, writing, “Your lovely comments made me cry! So many of u related. It’s both comforting & sad. I know my mom loves me, but we’ll always lack a connection. That was always missing in my life. U all fill that void.” Her follow-up message drew over 40,000 likes, showing how strongly the discussion resonated across generations. Many fans described the exchange as a moment of shared honesty about love, distance and understanding within families.