Source: Medium.com
Aziz Ansari skipped the 2018 SAG Awards on the 21st of January, Sunday, just a week after an anonymous woman accused him of being sexually coercive. The woman, who identified herself as “Grace,” wrote a story on a website titled, Babe.net.
When Aziz’s name was announced as a nominee for the Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor in a Comedy Series award, the crowd didn’t clap for the Master Of None star.
William H. Macy took home the award for his performance in Shameless and gave a shoutout to all of the nominees including Ansari.
Celebrity Insider reported earlier that a 23-year-old photographer from New York, Brooklyn, accused Aziz of sexual misconduct at his apartment one night after they had met at a party.
In a short story written for the publication, Babe.net, the woman alleges she met Aziz at Emmy’s afterparty in September of 2017. It was there she had the “worst night” of her life and claimed Aziz pressured her into sexual activity.
In a statement to publications such as Us Weekly on the 14th of January, Aziz said he believed their encounter was consensual. He wrote that he “got a text from her” the following day and revealed she felt “uncomfortable” by their interaction.
Ansari said “everything seemed ok” to him and he was “surprised and concerned.” Aziz stated that he took her words to heart and is now taking time to process what has happened. The comedian said he continues to support the #MeToo movement which is, in his words, “long overdue.”
However, not everyone is on the anonymous woman’s side, with many people saying the accusations are “reckless” and other people labeling the altercation as a mere “bad date.” The allegations come as part of the wave of claims against Hollywood stars from Harvey Weinstein to Dave Franco, who recently skipped an awards ceremony due to similar charges.
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