Aziz Ansari says he took accuser’s words ‘to heart’
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 Master of None comedian at a party after the Emmy Awards last September, where the two flirted and took photos of each other, and he asked for her phone number. She says they exchanged texts when she returned home 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, Jodi Gottlieb, saying he reached out to the woman “after taking time to process” her accusations.
“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.”
Ansari, a two-time Emmy winner for his Netflix show, won best actor in a TV musical or comedy se- ries at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7. He wore a Time’s Up pin on the red carpet showing his support for the initiative devoted to addressing men’s abuse of power and gender inequity.