Aziz Ansari responded to the sexual misconduct allegations made by a woman he went on a date with after the Emmys last year. He said the sexual activity described “was completely consensual.”
Ansari confirmed that the date happened in a statement to Deadline.
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“The next day, I got a text from her saying that although ‘it may have seemed okay,’ upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable,” Ansari wrote. “It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.”
He continued, “I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”
On Saturday, Babe.com published an account from a 23-year-old woman identified as Grace, who said she met the Master of None at an Emmys after-party. They exchanged numbers at the party and went on a date in Manhattan.
The date ended with Grace leaving Ansari’s apartment in an Uber. After the date, Grace wrote a text message to Ansari, which read, “I just want to take this moment to make you aware of [your] behavior and how uneasy it made me.” Ansari replied, “Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.” Babe.com reported that its reporter reviewed the text messages.
The woman claimed Ansari grabbed a condom “within minutes” of their first kiss. At that point, Grace says she told him to slow down. “I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill,’” she said.
Grace told Bebe.com that Ansari performed oral sex on her, and she briefly did the same for him. “It was really quick. Everything was pretty much touched and done within ten minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex,” she said.
Ansari continued making sexual advances towards her, even after she thought he was done.
“He sat back and pointed to his penis and motioned for me to go down on him,” the woman told Bebe. “And I did. I think I just felt really pressured. It was literally the most unexpected thing I thought would happen at that moment because I told him I was uncomfortable.”
She said she cried during her Uber ride home and told friends about the date.
“I cried the whole ride home,” the woman said. “At that point I felt violated. That last hour was so out of my hand.”
Ansari is best known for his role on Parks & Recreation, and is also the co-creator of Netflix’s Master of None. He also stars in the show, which won a Golden Globe last weekend.
