Aziz Ansari skips SAG Awards following reports of sexual assault
Indian-origin actor Aziz Ansari, who was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Master of None at 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards, skipped the ceremony amid sexual misconduct allegations. Ansari did not even receive an applause when all the nominations were being announced during the ceremony held on Sunday, reports people.com.
The actor has been accused of sexual misconduct by a woman with whom he went on a date last year. The winner of the award, William H. Macy, however, mentioned the actor’s name in his acceptance speech in paying tribute to the other nominees including Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) and Marc Maron (GLOW).
“In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers,” Ansari said.
“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.”