Aziz Ansari was left "upset and humiliated" when he was accused of sexual misconduct.
The ‘Master of None’ star was accused of "pressuring" a woman, leaving her feeling "uncomfortable", after they had gone on a date in an online article published in January 2018 and he candidly spoke out about the allegations for the first time since the story was made public on Monday (11.02.19) at his pop-up comedy show in New York.
Aziz explained he hadn’t talked about the "whole thing" much because he wanted to process what had happened and figure out what he wanted to say.
He added: "It’s a terrifying thing to talk about.
"There were times I felt really upset and humiliated and embarrassed, and ultimately I just felt terrible this person felt this way.
"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 35-year-old star has found a positive in the situation after a friend told him his experience had made him rethink every date he’d ever been on.
According to Vulture, Aziz said: "If that has made not just me but other guys think about this, and just be more thoughtful and aware and willing to go that extra mile, and make sure someone else is comfortable in that moment, that’s a good thing."
The former ‘Parks and Recreation’ star admitted the scandal had given him "perspective" on his life and made him realise how lucky he feels to still be performing comedy.
He added: "There was a moment, where I was scared that I’d never be able to do this again."
The claims against Aziz first came to light when website Babe.net posted an account from a woman known as Grace, who described her uncomfortable date with the comic, claiming he had "ignored clear non-verbal cues" and "kept going with advances."
Shortly after the allegations were published, the comedian admitted he was "surprised and concerned" that the woman had felt uncomfortable during their date and had reached out privately to her.
He said in a statement: "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. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said."
Aziz Ansari was ‘humiliated’ over sexual misconduct claims
