Aziz Ansari has spoken out following allegations against him of sexual assault.
The star of Netflix’s Master of None is said to have sexually assaulted a woman after she went on a date with him last year. The woman, who went by the name Grace, shared her story with Babe.net with the shocking headline:
“I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life.”
In the piece she detailed how they met at the 2017 Emmy Awards after-party when she approached him to ask about the camera he was using.
The pair went on to chat for a while, jokingly took pictures of each other and later exchanged numbers. They then went on a date a week later and throughout the course of the evening she says he made inappropriate advances despite her giving verbal and non-verbal signals to indicate she was not consenting.
In response to this accusation, Aziz has released the following statement:
“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.
-Aziz Ansari”
