Aziz Ansari Responds To Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Aziz Ansari has responded to allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct from a 23-year-old woman with whom he went on a date. According to Babe, the woman, who anonymously shared her encounter under the name of "Grace," gave a detailed account of the September 2017 date that she summed up as: "I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life." 

In the article, "Grace" says that she and the 34-year-old Golden Globe winner went to dinner on their first date. They then went back to his New York City apartment and he began to pressure her for sex. "He said something along the lines of, ‘How about you hop up and take a seat?’” He began to kiss her and 'in a second, his hand was on my breast.'" He undressed her and then himself and she says that's when she became uncomfortable. The article continues that Ansari told her he was going to grab a condom. She says that she voiced her hesitation explicitly. '“I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill.’” They kissed briefly. He performed oral sex on her and asked her to do the same. She did. '“It was really quick. Everything was pretty much touched and done within ten minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex.”'

The account continues with "Grace" stating that Ansari kept pressuring her for more. She says that he "ignored clear non-verbal cues" and "kept going with advances." '“It was 30 minutes of me getting up and moving and him following and sticking his fingers down my throat again. It was really repetitive. It felt like a fucking game.”'

Following the article's publishing, Ansari issued a statement, saying that he thought the interaction was  consensual. Per E! News: "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 Master Of None star continues, "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."

Ansari, who has been a supporter of the #TimesUp movement, says that the conversation around sexual abuse and assault must continue. "I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue."

[Photo: Getty Images]