Aziz Ansari Reflects on Sexual Misconduct Allegation in Netflix Special: “It Almost Felt Like I’d Died”

After a year and a half out of the spotlight, Aziz Ansari is reflecting on the sexual misconduct allegation levied against him in a Babe.net piece titled, “I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life.” In his new Netflix comedy special, Aziz Ansari: Right Now, the comedian and actor addresses the scandal head-on at the beginning of the set, as he wanted his audience to know how he feels “about that whole situation” before diving into the jokes. Ansari explains that he’s “felt so many things in the last year or so,” but “ultimately, [he] just felt terrible” that he made a woman feel uncomfortable on a date. “I just hope it was a step forward. It moved things forward for me, it made me think about a lot. I hope I’ve become a better person,” says Ansari.

At the beginning of the Spike Jonze-directed special, Ansari jokes that people on the street often confuse him with Hasan Minhaj, another Indian comedian. “He immediately realized his mistake, and he was trying to buy it back,” recalls Ansari of one such run-in. “‘Aziz, right?'” the man on the street asked. “‘Uh, you had that whole thing last year, sexual misconduct?'” Getting in a quick one-liner, Ansari replied, “‘No, no, no. That was Hasan.'”

“You know, I haven’t said much about that whole thing,” says the comedian, now speaking to his audience. “But I’ve talked about it on this tour. Because you’re here, and it means a lot to me. And I’m sure there are some of you that are curious how I feel about that whole situation.” Ansari notes that “it’s a tricky thing for [him] to answer” because he’s “felt so many things in the last year or so.” He continues, “There’s times I’ve felt scared. There’s times I’ve felt humiliated. There’s times I’ve felt embarrassed. But ultimately, I just felt terrible that this person felt this way.”

“After a year or so, I just hope it was a step forward. It moved things forward for me, it made me think about a lot. I hope I’ve become a better person,” he adds. “And I always think about a conversation I had with one of my friends where he was like, ‘You know what, man, that whole thing made me think about every date I’ve ever been on.’ And I thought, wow, that’s pretty incredible. This made not just me, but other people be more thoughtful, then that’s a good thing. And that’s how I feel about it.”

At the end of the special, Ansari addresses the sexual misconduct scandal again, albeit less directly. “I’m glad you all came out tonight … I really mean that,” he tells his audience, adding that it “means the world” to him that they went out of their way to see him perform. “I saw the world where I don’t ever get to do this again. And it almost felt like I’d died,” he says. “In a way, I did. That old Aziz … he’s dead. But I’m glad, because that guy was always looking forward to whatever was next. But I don’t think that way anymore. Because I’ve realized, it’s all ephemeral. All that stuff, it can just go away.”

Aziz Ansari: Right Now is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Watch Aziz Ansari: Right Now on Netflix