Aziz Ansari is addressing the 2018 sexual misconduct allegation against him.
For the first time, Aziz addressed the accusation directly in an interview while promoting his film Good Fortune.
Back in 2018, a woman who had gone out on a date with the Parks and Recreation star accused him of sexual assault. The actor denied it and called the interaction consensual.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “I mean, I apologized to the person personally, right? When it happened.”
He then addressed his 2019 hiatus from acting, saying, “It wasn’t really a break, per se,” and went on to point out that he did a Netflix stand-up special Aziz Ansari: Right Now.
“I did that tour, and I wanted to address it in the special because people were curious about how I felt about the whole experience. So I felt like I had to talk about it in the special,” he explained.
During his Netflix special, he addressed the accusation indirectly, saying, “It’s a tricky thing for me to answer, ’cause I’ve so many things in the last year or so. There are times I felt scared. There are times I’ve felt humiliated. There are times I’ve embarrassed.”
“And ultimately, I just felt terrible that this person felt this way,” he remarked.
Aziz Ansari also said that he’d grown as a result of the accusation, adding, “That old Aziz who said ‘Oh, treat yo’ self,’ whatever, he’s dead. But I’m glad, ’cause that guy was always looking forward at whatever was next.”
