INDIAN AMERICAN actor Aziz Ansari on Monday (11) publicly addressed misconduct claims during a comedy set saying he believes the controversy made him a better person.
Last year, a 23-year-old woman known as Grace told Babe.net described her encounter with Ansari and said the comedian ignored non-verbal cues and kept taking advantage of her during a sexual encounter.
Responding to the claim, Ansari said he thought the encounter was consensual, but added that he “took her words to heart”.
“There were times I felt really upset and humiliated and embarrassed, and ultimately I just felt terrible this person felt this way," Ansari said at a standup comedy show in New York.
“It’s a terrifying thing to talk about,” he added. “But you know, after a year, how I feel about it is, I hope it was a step forward. It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person.”
The comedian expressed hope that the accusations will cause others to think more about consent. He urged people to be more thoughtful and aware and make sure their partner is comfortable during a sexual encounter.
”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,” Ansari said when the allegations surfaced.
Grace told the publication that she went public about her encounter with Ansari after he wore a badge supporting the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment when collecting an award at the Golden Globes.
“It was actually painful to watch him win and accept an award,” she told Babe. “And absolutely cringeworthy that he was wearing the Time’s Up pin.”
FILE PHOTO: Aftab Pureval. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
