Comedian Aziz Ansari has responded after a young woman claimed anonymously that a date in New York City last year turned into a very uncomfortable situation for her.
The woman said, according to babe.net, that Ansari would not take “no” for an answer when he took her back to his luxury Tribeca apartment and aggressively tried to have sex with her, ignoring her verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate her discomfort. The 23-year-old Brooklyn photographer said she escaped the apartment in an Uber “in tears” and expressed her displeasure to him in a text message the following day.
“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,” Ansari told Fox News in a written statement. “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.”
The accuser said she wanted to speak up after the star wore a Time’s Up pin at the Golden Globes ceremony, where he won Best Actor in a TV comedy or musical.
The accuser told her story in graphic detail to babe.net, which drew parallels to a character on Ansari’s Netflix show “Master of None” called Chef Jeff, who gives Ansari’s character, Dev, a huge career opportunity before being accused of sexually inappropriate conduct by several women.
“So it was like, 'Okay, what if this is one of those types of guys and we just get the audience to love him?' And then pull the rug out from under them at the end and reveal that he’s actually not a good dude?’” babe.net reports he said of the storyline.
The woman said she met Ansari, 34, at a post-Emmy Awards party in September.
On the date a week later, she said that within minutes of returning to Ansari's apartment after going out to eat, the comedian began kissing, fondling and undressing her and then said he was going to get a condom.
“I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill,’” she told babe.net.
According to the news outlet, the woman says that when Ansari returned he resumed kissing her, briefly performed oral sex on her, and asked her to do the same thing to him. She did, but not for long.
“It was really quick,” she said. “Everything was pretty much touched and done within 10 minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex.”
Babe.net posted on social media a screenshot of a text conversation the woman and Ansari had the next day.
“It was fun meeting you last night,” Ansari wrote, according to the news outlet.
“Last night might’ve been fun for you, but it wasn’t for me,” she responded. “You ignored clear non-verbal cues; you kept going with advances.”
She added, “I want to make sure you’re aware so maybe the next girl doesn’t have to cry on the ride home.”
She also thanked him for dinner.
Babe.net reported that Ansari responded, “I’m so sad to hear this. Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
The woman told babe.net that the Golden Globes rekindled the memory of her date with Ansari.
“It was actually painful to watch him win and accept an award,” she said. “And absolutely cringeworthy that he was wearing the Time’s Up pin. I think that started a new fire, and it kind of made it more real.”
Babe.net reported that she added, “I believe that I was taken advantage of by Aziz. I was not listened to and ignored. It was by far the worst experience with a man I’ve ever had.”
The 34-year-old is best known for his role as Tom Haverford on "Parks and Recreation" and as the creator and star of Netflix's "Master of None" for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV comedy or musical.
Season 3 of "Masters of None" has not been confirmed but the comedian has three stand-up specials on the streaming service. Netflix did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment.