Aziz Ansari Has Been Accused Of Sexual Assault
The comedian has yet to respond to the allegations.
This story discusses sexual assault.
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Comedian and self-described feminist Aziz Ansari has been accused of sexual assault by an anonymous woman who says he forced himself on her during a date in September last year.
In a detailed interview with babe, “Grace”, a 23-year-old photographer from Brooklyn, says Ansari — who is renowned for exploring the pitfalls of modern relationships in his comedy — coerced her into performing sex acts and repeatedly ignored verbal and non-verbal cues indicating that she was uncomfortable.
“I know I was physically giving off cues that I wasn’t interested,” she told the publication. “I don’t think that was noticed at all, or if it was, it was ignored.”
According to Grace, she and Ansari met while she was taking photographs at an Emmy Awards after party. The two exchanged numbers, and met up for a date the following week.
After dinner at an oyster bar, Grace says they walked back to Ansari’s apartment, where the situation rapidly grew uncomfortable.
From babe:
Within moments, he was kissing her. “In a second, his hand was on my breast.” Then he was undressing her, then he undressed himself. She remembers feeling uncomfortable at how quickly things escalated.
When Ansari told her he was going to grab a condom within minutes of their first kiss, Grace voiced her hesitation explicitly. “I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill.’” She says he then resumed kissing her, briefly performed oral sex on her, and asked her to do the same thing to him. She did, but not for long. “It was really quick. Everything was pretty much touched and done within ten minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex.”
Grace says Ansari would push his fingers into her mouth and then attempt to push them into her vagina. She also describes him repeatedly attempting to put her hand on his penis, and following her around the apartment when she moved away from him. She says he wanted sex, and asked her “where do you want me to fuck you?”
“Most of my discomfort was expressed in me pulling away and mumbling. I know that my hand stopped moving at some points,” she says. “I stopped moving my lips and turned cold.”
Eventually, Grace says she told Ansari “I don’t want to feel forced because then I’ll hate you, and I’d rather not hate you.” He relented, and suggested they “chill” on the couch. But once they sat down, Grace says he pointed to his penis and motioned for her to perform oral sex on him, which she did.
“I think I just felt really pressured,” she says. “It was literally the most unexpected thing I thought would happen at that moment because I told him I was uncomfortable.”
Grace says Ansari again tried to take things further, bending her over in front of a large mirror and pressing his penis against her backside. That is when she says she explicitly told him no:
“I just remember looking in the mirror and seeing him behind me. He was very much caught up in the moment and I obviously very much wasn’t,” Grace said. “After he bent me over is when I stood up and said no, I don’t think I’m ready to do this, I really don’t think I’m going to do this. And he said, ‘How about we just chill, but this time with our clothes on?’”
They got dressed, sat side by side on the couch they’d already “chilled” on, and he turned on an episode of Seinfeld. She’d never seen it before. She said that’s when the reality of what was going on sank in. “It really hit me that I was violated. I felt really emotional all at once when we sat down there. That that whole experience was actually horrible.”
Grace says that while they were back on the couch, Ansari again tried to initiate sex, kissing her and trying to undo her pants. It was then that she decided to leave. She says Ansari gave her an “aggressive” kiss goodbye, but when she pulled away he relented and called her an Uber.
“I believe that I was taken advantage of by Aziz,” Grace told babe. “I was not listened to and ignored. It was by far the worst experience with a man I’ve ever had,”
The next day, Ansari texted Grace saying “It was fun meeting you last night”.
“Last night might’ve been fun for you, but it wasn’t for me,” she messaged back. “You ignored clear non-verbal cues; you kept going with advances. You had to have noticed I was uncomfortable.”
“It may have seemed okay. But I didn’t feel good at all. All day I’ve been playing it over, I’m realizing how much it affected me. I want to make sure you’re aware so maybe the next girl doesn’t have to cry on the ride home.”
Ansari responded by saying it would “never be my intention to make you or anyone feel the way you described. Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
This is the text Grace* sent Aziz Ansari after their date which left her feeling “violated”. She tells Ansari how uncomfortable he made her feel, saying “you ignored clear non-verbal cues” and “kept going with advances.”
Read the full story on https://t.co/FyMMG6uO1j. pic.twitter.com/lPOvW6tFTr
— babe (@babedotnet) January 14, 2018
Grace told babe she decided to come forward after she saw Ansari on television at the Golden Globes. “It was actually painful to watch him win and accept an award,” she says. “And absolutely cringeworthy that he was wearing the Time’s Up pin. I think that started a new fire, and it kind of made it more real.”
Ansari is yet to comment on the allegations against him.
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If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
Men can access anonymous confidential telephone counselling to help to stop using violent and controlling behaviour through the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.