What were the allegations against Aziz Ansari in 2018? Comedian says he apologized to accuser 'personally' in rare comments on the incident

American actor, director, and comedian Aziz Ismail Ansari, commonly known as Aziz Ansari, in a recent interview, opened up about his 2018 s*xual misconduct allegations. The Master of None star, Ansari, during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, reflected on the time an anonymous woman with whom he went on a date accused him of misconduct.

The 42-year-old Aziz Ansari, who went on a date seven years ago, in January 2018, with a woman, who made allegations against him of s*xual behavior, which she classified as assault, while the Parks and Recreation alum thought it was consensual. During The Hollywood Reporter interview, Ansari directly acknowledged the accusations for the first time, and shared:

"I mean, I apologized to the person personally, right? When it happened."

Aziz Ansari, who directed and produced the upcoming action-comedy film Good Fortune, which features an ensemble cast including Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, and Sandra Oh, also talked about what many people assumed was a career break for him. He explained:

"It wasn’t really a break, per se."

While mentioning his Netflix comedy special, Aziz Ansari: Right Now, released in 2019, he added:

"I did that tour, and I wanted to address it in the special because people were curious about how I felt about the whole experience. So I felt like I had to talk about it in the special."

The woman who made the accusations against Ansari described their encounter as "the worst night of my life" in a post she published on Babe.net. It was that piece that began a conversation about the nuances of the #MeToo Movement. While Aziz Ansari chose not to mention the woman directly in his comedy special, he took the opportunity to confess that he was gradually accepting how he felt about the whole matter. Ansari said:

"It’s a tricky thing for me to answer, 'cause I’ve so many things in the last year or so. There are times I felt scared. There are times I’ve felt humiliated. There are times I’ve embarrassed. And ultimately, I just felt terrible that this person felt this way."

Aziz Ansari shared that he gained a new outlook on life

At the end of his Netflix comedy special, Aziz Ansari talked about how the whole 2018 allegations made him think that he would never come back to the stage again. However, the 30 Minutes or Less actor then shared that, after everything that has happened, he has gained a new outlook on life. Ansari said:

"I saw the world where I don’t ever get to do this again. And it almost felt like I died. In a way, I did. That old Aziz who said ‘Oh, treat yo’ self,' whatever, he’s dead. But I’m glad, 'cause that guy was always looking forward at whatever was next."

The woman who made allegations against him, met Ansari at an Emmy Awards afterparty in September 2017. She was 23 at the time. She went by the pseudonym "Grace" in the post she published about him. In her post, she mentioned how they reportedly had had a meal and then went back to Ansari's apartment, where they took part in s*xual acts and alleged that Ansari behaved coercively, while she physically made it clear she was not interested.

Aziz then shared a statement in which he mentioned that they went on a date and that they were involved in s*xual activity, which, according to him, "by all indications was completely consensual." He went ahead and 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. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said."

He further added:

"I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue."

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Aziz Ansari's brand-new movie, Good Fortune, is scheduled to be released on October 17, 2025.

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