Superstar comedian Aziz Ansari wasted no time in addressing the sexual misconduct claim brought against him in 2018 in his new comedy special, saying he “just felt terrible.”
“You know, I haven’t said much about that whole thing, but I’ve talked about it on this tour, ’cause you’re here and it means a lot to me,” the 36-year-old comedian shared in the stand-up special that dropped Tuesday on Netflix titled, “Aziz Ansari Right Now,” per the Hollywood Reporter. (RELATED: This New Louis C.K. Movie Has Harvey Weinstein Written All Over It)
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“I’m sure there are some of you that are curious how I feel about that whole situation,” he added. “And it’s a tricky thing for me to answer cause I felt so many things in the last year or so.” (RELATED: Aziz Ansari Responds To Sexual Assault Allegations)
Ansari continued while explaining that there were times he felt both “scared” and “humiliated”
“There’s times I felt embarrassed, and ultimately I just felt terrible that this person felt this way,” the actor shared. “And after a year or so, I just hope it was a step forward. It moved things forward for me, made me think about a lot. I hope I’ve become a better person.”
“I always think about a conversation I had with one of my friends where he was like, ‘You know what, man? That whole thing made me think about every date I’ve ever been on,'” he added. “And I thought, wow! That’s pretty incredible. If this made not just me but other people be more thoughtful, then that’s a good thing, and that’s how I feel about it.”
Ansari continued, “And I know this isn’t the most hilarious way to begin a comedy show, but it’s important to me that you know how I felt about that whole thing before we share this night together.”
As previously reported, the “Master of None” star was first accused of sexual misconduct in January last year after an anonymous person accused him in a Babe.net story of pressuring her into committing an oral sex act on him.
The comedian responded to the claim saying that their sexual activity was “completely consensual” and then admitted the text he got from the woman the next day was his first indication that she was “uncomfortable” about what went on between them.
“The next day, I got a text from her saying that although it may have seemed okay, upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable,” Ansari wrote. “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.”