Comedian Aziz Ansari Responds To Sexual Misconduct Allegation
LOS ANGELES (CBSNewYork/AP) — Comedian Aziz Ansari responded to allegations of sexual misconduct by a woman he took on a date last year.
Ansari – a star and creator of "Master of None" — said in a statement Sunday that he apologized last year when she told him about her discomfort during a post-dinner sexual encounter in his apartment he said he believed to be completely consensual.
The woman, identified as a Brooklyn-based 23-year-old photographer in an interview with Babe.net, says she was furious when she saw Ansari was wearing a "Time's Up" pin while accepting a Golden Globe on Jan. 7.
She said it brought back memories of him being aggressive and demanding during a date in his apartment.
She described him as being sexually suggestive and aggressive and repeatedly pulling her hands near his penis even after she moved them away. She said she repeatedly gave cues that she wasn't interested but felt pressured to give him oral sex.
The next day, the woman texted Ansari letting him know that she was upset with his behavior that night.
She produced a text, allegedly from Ansari, that said, "Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I'm truly sorry."
In a statement issued Sunday night, the actor again apologized and said he will continue to support the #Me,too and "Time's Up" movements.
"I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue," he wrote.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)