Aziz Ansari has been accused of sexual misconduct by an anonymous woman. Photo / AP
Aziz Ansari has been accused of sexual misconduct by an anonymous woman. Photo / AP
Master of None star Aziz Ansari has denied a woman's claims of sexual misconduct while they were on a date, saying that the encounter was completely consensual "by all indications" he had at the time.
According to the Daily Mail, Ansari, 34, spoke out with his side ofthe story on Sunday, a day after a 23-year-old photographer in New York shared her allegations about their September date with the women's website Babe.
"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,' Ansari acknowledged in a statement to Variety.
Master of None star Aziz Ansari has denied a woman's claims of sexual misconduct while they were on a date. Photo / AP
"We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual," Ansari said.
"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," he said.
"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," he said.
Ansari's denial came one day after the anonymous woman offered allegations about their date that were highly detailed, claiming the actor had pressured her for sex at his apartment over the course of the night while they were on a date.
The woman's claims did not involve force or violence.
The woman said she met Ansari at an after-party for the Emmys in Los Angeles on September 17 when she noticed they had both brought the same kind of film cameras.
She said she exchanged phone numbers with Ansari at the party and later made plans for a date when they had both returned to New York.
On Monday, September 25, she said she went to Ansari's swanky TriBeCa apartment, where they drank white wine and talked.
After dinner at an oyster bar a few blocks away, she said they returned to his apartment.
She claims he performed oral sex on her and then asked her to reciprocate, which she did.
The woman claims he stuck his fingers down her throat and allegedly kept moving her hand towards his penis.
She said she couldn't say whether Ansari was just clueless or actively ignoring her signals.
"I know I was physically giving off cues that I wasn't interested. I don't think that was noticed at all, or if it was, it was ignored," she said.
She alleges that Ansari repeatedly asked her "Where do you want me to f**k you?"
When the woman stood up to leave, Ansari insisted on calling a car for her, she claims.
"I cried the whole ride home. At that point I felt violated. That last hour was so out of my hand," she said
The woman said that Ansari's reputation as a feminist and 'woke' individual on social issues heightened the sense of disconnect she felt on the date.
"This was not what I expected. I'd seen some of his shows and read excerpts from his book and I was not expecting a bad night at all, much less a violating night and a painful one," she said.
The next day, before the woman could figure out what to say to Ansari about the date, he allegedly sent her a text message.
