Aziz Ansari is now facing sexual assault allegations from a Brooklyn-based photographer who recently came forward with an account of a date with Ansari in which she asserts that she was violated.
Known only as "Grace" to protect her identity, the 23-year old woman detailed the experience with digital publication Babe, describing an instance in which she went on a date with the Master Of None star in New York City, shortly after the 2017 Emmy Awards. In the article, Grace reveals that she met the 34-year old actor and comedian at an Emmys after party, sparking a conversation based on the fact that they both happened to show up with the same kind of vintage film camera.
The chance meeting eventually turned into a date about one week later. While she explains that she was initially "excited" for the date, the night would terminate with her in tears. She revelaed that upon returning to Ansari's home after dinner, he proceeded to make sexual advances, and she became uncomfortable with how quickly things escalated between the two.
When they walked back in, she complimented his marble countertops. According to Grace, Ansari turned the compliment into an invitation.
“He said something along the lines of, ‘How about you hop up and take a seat?’” 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 said 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 went on to explain that she continued to give off more non-verbal cues that she was not comfortbale with the way things were going to no avail.
Ansari wanted to have sex. She said she remembers him asking again and again, “Where do you want me to fuck you?” while she was still seated on the countertop. She says she found the question tough to answer because she says she didn’t want to fuck him at all.
“I wasn’t really even thinking of that, I didn’t want to be engaged in that with him. But he kept asking, so I said, ‘Next time.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, you mean second date?’ and I go, ‘Oh, yeah, sure,’ and he goes, ‘Well, if I poured you another glass of wine now, would it count as our second date?’”
Grace claims that Ansari continued to make explcit gestures and comments, urging her to engage in intercourse. At one point, he seemed to comply to her wishes, citing that "it’s only fun if we’re both having fun.” They soon got dressed and sat on the couch to watch television, but soon enough, says Grace, Ansari was making more sexual suggestions. She eventually got up and told the actor that she was going to call a car to take her home. He insisted on calling her a car himself, and she was soon in an Uber crying on her way back home.
Grace shared screenshots of texts exchanged with Ansari the next day, letting him know how she felt.
“Last night might’ve been fun for you, but it wasn’t for me,” Grace sent in a message. “You ignored clear non-verbal clues; you kept going with advances.” She explains why she is telling him how she felt: “I want to make sure you’re aware so maybe the next girl doesn’t have to cry on the ride home.”
“I’m so sad to hear this,” he responded. “Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
Grace says she never met with Ansari again, and it wasn't until the actor received a Golden Globe award earlier this month for his Master Of None series that Grace once more had to face what took place that night.
“It was actually painful to watch him win and accept an award,” she said. “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.”
“I believe that I was taken advantage of by Aziz. I was not listened to and ignored. It was by far the worst experience with a man I’ve ever had.”
Aziz Ansari and his reps have yet to respond to these allegations.