Aziz Ansari says he took accuser’s words ‘ to heart’
Woman says his actions made her feel uneasy
After being accused of sexual misconduct by an unnamed photographer he went on a date with last year, Aziz Ansari says he’s taking the woman’s words to heart.
The 23- year- old-woman-told Babe magazine she met the comedian at a party after the Emmy Awards last September, where the two flirted and took photos and he asked for her phone number. She says they exchanged texts when she returned to Brooklyn and went on a date a little more than a week later.
After a quick dinner, she says, they returned to his apartment, where he undressed her, pressured her into oral sex and suggested he get a condom.
“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.
“I said ‘ I don’t want to feel forced because then I’ll hate you, and I’d rather not hate you,’ ” she says she told Ansari.
The woman shared screen shots with Babe of a text conversation she says took place the day after the incident, in which she wrote, “I just want to take this moment to make you aware of this behavior and how uneasy it made me.”
On Sunday, the actor issued a statement, sent to USA TODAY via his representative, saying he reached out to thewoman “after taking time to process” her accusations.
” Everything did seem okay tome, 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. ... I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”