UPDATE: Yet another male celebrity who attended the Golden Globes wearing a Time’s Up pin has been accused of sexual misconduct. Following the allegations against James Franco last week, actor and comedian Aziz Ansari has been accused of sexual assault by a then 22-year-old photographer. Speaking anonymously, the woman told Babe that a date with Ansari left her in tears, feeling upset and violated.
Now, Ansari has issued his own statement responding to the allegations.
“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,” he said, Deadline reports.
“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.”
ORIGINAL: Using the pseudonym ‘Grace’, a woman recounted meeting Master of None star Ansari at the 2017 Emmy Awards after-party. She says they exchanged numbers and, after a week of texting, eventually went on a date.
The night allegedly ended with Grace in tears, feeling upset and violated.
“When the waiter came over he quickly asked for the check and he said like, ‘Let’s get off this boat.'” she told feminist website, Babe, saying she was surprised by the abruptness. “Like, he got the check and then it was bada-boom, bada-bing, we’re out of there.”
When they got back to Ansari’s TriBeCa apartment, Grace says “[i]n a second, his hand was on my breast.” Babe reports that Ansari then started “undressing her, then he undressed himself. She remembers feeling uncomfortable at how quickly things escalated.”
The publication says Ansari allegedly ignored Grace’s “verbal and non-verbal” cues to not have sex.
“I cried the whole ride home. At that point I felt violated. That last hour was so out of my hand,” Grace says. “I didn’t leave because I think I was stunned and shocked. This was not what I expected. I’d seen some of his shows and read excerpts from his book and I was not expecting a bad night at all, much less a violating night and a painful one.”
Grace also shared alleged screenshots of text messages from Ansari in which he apologises for his behaviour after told him how uncomfortable he had made her.
“I’m so sad to hear this,” the texts read. “Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
“It took a really long time for me to validate this as sexual assault,” Grace told Babe. “I was debating if this was an awkward sexual experience or sexual assault. And that’s why I confronted so many of my friends and listened to what they had to say, because I wanted validation that it was actually bad,” she continued.
“I believe that I was taken advantage of by Aziz. I was not listened to and ignored. It was by far the worst experience with a man I’ve ever had.”
Ansari hasn’t yet responded to the allegation.
