Comedian Aziz Ansari is set to return to Netflix a year and a half after a sexual misconduct allegation against him sparked a conversation about the nuances of sexual consent and the Me Too movement.
His new stand-up comedy special, Aziz Ansari: Right Now will premiere on July 9, as he and the streaming platform announced on Monday.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze, the special was filmed in May at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, a stop on Ansari’s recent international tour, Road To Nowhere.
The special marks the Master Of None star and co-creator’s return to the spotlight and his first project with Netflix since an unidentified woman alleged that Ansari had pressured her into sexual activity after a date in 2017.
According to the woman, whose story was published in January 2018 on the site Babe.net, Ansari texted her after the incident: “Clearly I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”
In a statement, Ansari said he thought the situation was “completely consensual.”
In the course of mounting his comeback, Ansari has reportedly acknowledged and reflected on the incident, including on the Road To Nowhere tour.
“It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person,” he said at a comedy club in New York in February, according to Vulture. “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.”
- Rape Crisis services for women and girls who have been raped or have experienced sexual violence – 0808 802 9999
- Survivors UK offers support for men and boys – 0203 598 3898
