Aziz Ansari addresses sexual misconduct claims in first UK comedy show since allegations broke
'Most of all, I felt terrible this person felt this way'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Aziz Ansari has publicly reflected on accusations of sexual misconduct against him during his return to touring in London.
The comedian, who performed on Wednesday at Hammersmith Apollo, brought up allegations made in January 2018 by a photographer identified as Grace, who said a date with Ansari turned out to be “the worst night of [her] life”.
During his set, Ansari said he took time to process the allegations against him, which is partly why he hadn’t fully addressed them until he began his tour. He also called the accusations “a very scary thing to talk about”.
“I haven’t said much about the whole thing for a couple of reasons,” he began. “I know there are people that are curious about the whole thing and it’s a hard question to answer because I’ve felt so many things this past year. There are times I’ve felt very scared, there are times I’ve felt embarrassed, there are times I felt humiliated. But most of all, I felt terrible this person felt this way.”
“But you know, after a year, how I feel about it is, I hope it was a step forward. It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person.”
The comedian expressed the hope that the accusations will cause others to think more about consent.
In a story published by the website Babe.net last year, Grace described her discomfort during her encounter with Ansari, saying the comedian had “ignored clear non-verbal cues” and “kept going with advances”.
“Most of my discomfort was expressed in me pulling away and mumbling. I know that my hand stopped moving at some points,” she told the website. “I stopped moving my lips and turned cold.”
In a follow-up statement, Ansari said at the time that sexual activity ”by all indications was completely consensual”, adding: ”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.”
You can read a review of Ansari’s Hammersmith Apollo show here.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments