Banfield slams Ansari’s accuser
HNLhost says accuser misused the # MeToo action
Los Angeles: Popular TV host Ashleigh Banfield has criticised Aziz Ansari’s unnamed accuser. Banfield, who hosts
Crime & Justice on HLN, said the woman, who identified herself with the pseudonym ‘ Grace’, misused the # MeToo movement.
“By your own clear description, this wasn’t a rape, nor was it a sexual assault. By your description, your sexual encounter was unpleasant,” she said.
“I’m sorry you had a bad date ... But let’s take a moment to reflect on what you claim was the ‘ worst night of your life.’”
The host then said that Grace had “chiseled away at a movement”.
“The # MeToo movement has righted a lot of wrongs and it has made your career path much smoother ... What a gift. Yet, you looked that gift horse in the mouth and chiseled away at that powerful movement with your public accusation,” Banfield said.
In a post on Babe. Net, the woman claimed that she exchanged numbers with Ansari at the 2017 Emmy Awards after- party and went on a date with him on a bar on the banks of the Hudson river, which escalated quickly to a sexual encounter at his apartment.
The woman said she “used verbal and non- verbal cues to indicate how uncomfortable and distressed she was”. She added that her reticence to engage in the act was “ignored” by the actor.
Grace alleged Ansari called her a cab when she wanted to leave and he texted her the next day. When she told him that she had an unpleasant experience, he apologised that he “misread things”.