UPDATE: Aziz Ansari released the following statement about the incident
“In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date. We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.”
“The next day, I got a text from her saying that although ‘it may have seemed okay,’ upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. 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.”
“I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”
An anonymous woman has come forward accusing Aziz Ansari, comedian and star of Master Of None, of sexual misconduct.
The 23-year-old photographer (who is referred to as Grace), described the encounter to Babe, saying she met the Parks and Recreation actor at an Emmy Awards after-party where she was working. The woman alleges that the two exchanged numbers and planned a date on September 25, 2017.
On the night, the two went back to his apartment in Tribeca, New York City, after dinner. Grace explains that he began initiating sex but she became uncomfortable with how quickly the situation escalated. According to Grace, she gave Aziz, 34, verbal and non-verbal cues that she wasn’t interested in engaging in any sexual activity, but he kept instigating it.
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Aziz in Netflix comedy series, Master of None
“I know I was physically giving off cues that I wasn’t interested. I don’t think that was noticed at all, or if it was, it was ignored,” she told Babe.
Grace allegedly told Aziz: “I don’t want to feel forced because then I’ll hate you, and I’d rather not hate you.” He appeared to understand, but then reportedly asked her to go down on him.
“I just remember looking in the mirror and seeing him behind me. He was very much caught up in the moment, and I obviously very much wasn’t,” she said. (You can read Grace’s recollection of the night here.)
Grace asked him to call her a car and she cried the whole way home. Babe has released a text exchange between the two, where she explained how she felt.
“I just want to take this moment to make you aware of this behaviour and how uneasy it made me,” she texted.
Aziz allegedly replied with: “I’m so sad to hear this. All I can say is, it would never be my intention to make you or anyone feel the way you described. Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
The woman has reportedly spoken up about the incident because he wore a ‘Time’s Up‘ pin at the Golden Globe Awards, where he won a best actor award.
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