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Aziz Ansari Responds to Sexual Assault Allegations: “Everything Did Seem OK to Me”
Days after a Brooklyn photographer accused Aziz Ansari of sexual assault, the 34-year-old actor responded to the allegations in a statement, which was obtained my multiple outlets on Sunday, Jan. 14.
“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,” Aziz said of his interaction with the woman, who recently detailed her side of the story in a piece with Babe.net under the name “Grace.”
Aziz continued, “The next day, I got a text from her saying that although ‘it may have seemed OK,’ upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem OK 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.”
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
According to Grace, she was inspired to share her story about Aziz after she saw the Modern Romance author wear a Time’s Up pin at the 2018 Golden Globes, showing his support for Hollywood’s movement against sexual misconduct. Grace met Aziz at a 2017 Emmys afterparty. After bonding over their shared love of photography, the Parks and Recreation alum asked Grace out on a date, which she agreed to. However, in her interview with Babe.net, she described her evening with Aziz as “the worst night of my life.”
According to Grace’s account, she and the Master of None star hung out at his Manhattan apartment for wine and small talk before going out to dinner at NYC’s Grand Banks restaurant. During their meal, Grace “sensed [Aziz] was eager to leave.” When they eventually retreated back to Aziz’s place, Grace recalled that the comedian asked her to “hop up and take a seat” on his marble countertops, where he allegedly undressed Grace and then undressed himself. Grace claimed that they started to kiss before Aziz said he was going to get a condom.
Though she attempted to move away from Aziz several times, Grace claimed that the actor forcibly shifted her hand toward his genitals. She told Babe.net that she felt as though she was giving Aziz hints that she wasn’t interested in having sexual relations with him — but wasn’t sure if he was unaware or just blatantly ignored them.
After going to the bathroom to gather composure, Grace came back out to meet Aziz — who allegedly said, “It’s only fun if we’re both having fun.” While she was happy that Aziz acknowledged that she was uncomfortable, he allegedly became aggressive again. “He sat back and pointed to his penis and motioned for me to go down on him. And I did,” Grace recounted. “I think I just felt really pressured. It was literally the most unexpected thing I thought would happen at that moment because I told him I was uncomfortable.”
The writer of the Babe.net piece said they spoke with Grace’s roommate, who corroborated her account. Despite the accusations made against him, Aziz insisted he still stands behind the Time’s Up movement and the #MeToo initiative. “I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture,” he said in his statement. “It is necessary and long overdue.”
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