“It’s a terrifying thing to talk about.”
Aziz Ansari has addressed the allegation of sexual misconduct made against him during a new show.
The comedian said that he has learned a lot since that time, and that he hopes he is now “a better person.”
Ansari was accused of pressuring a woman into having sex with him in 2017.
Online publication Babe.net published a piece in which the woman said that she felt “violated” by Ansari during a date they shared a year and a half ago.
Ansari released a statement at the time saying that everything that happened was “completely consensual.” He has since addressed the allegation again at a standup show in the Village Underground in New York City.
Vulture reports that the comedian’s voice became “sombre” as he discussed the incident.
“There were times I felt really upset and humiliated and embarrassed, and ultimately I just felt terrible this person felt this way,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
Ansari finished by saying that the allegation had given him a new “perspective.”
This comes just one month after Louis CK addressed his own sexual assault allegations during a standup set.
“I like to jerk off, and I don’t like being alone,” he stated before calling Parkland shooting survivors uninteresting and making ‘jokes’ about the transgender community.
The comic was accused in 2017 of masturbating non-consensually in front of multiple women.