Aziz Ansari wastes no time in his new comedy special (“Right Now”) before addressing the elephant in the room. After easing into a story about dealing with a fan confusing him for Hasan Minhaj and …
after the fact, when he said he was “surprised and concerned” to hear about Grace’s side of the story. In both cases, he expresses sympathy for the woman who had such a bad night with him that she felt compelled to share it with the world, but is careful not to admit fault or apologize.
From a purely structural level, it’s fascinating to watch Ansari pivot hard from this incident as a piece of housekeeping before he can get to what he really wants to talk about. “Right Now” is otherwise a packed set of punchlines and anecdotes about performative allyship, living in the moment, and how the goalposts of decency keep shifting.
In one of the special’s more self-conscious segments, Ansari addresses how he used to talk about R. Kelly and all the “amazing things” the singer did beyond the myriad allegations and charges against him, insisting that he “wouldn’t say that now.” Ansari even mentions re-watching an episode of “Parks and Recreation” in which his character gave a woman a teddy bear with a nanny cam embedded inside.
It’s hard not to think about this at the end of “Right Now” when Ansari circles back to the allegation that made him rethink his entire life . Expressing his gratitude for everyone at the show, Ansari gets quiet. “I saw the world where I don’t ever get to do this again, and it almost felt like I died,” he says, going on to say that the “old Aziz who said, ‘oh treat yo self’ or whatever” might as well have died. But the fact remains that Ansari didn’t die, or anything close to it.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
TV Shows to Watch the Week of July 8, 2019: ‘Love Island’ Premieres, Aziz Ansari ReturnsWelcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch an…
Read more »
Aziz Ansari Addresses Sexual Misconduct Allegation in Netflix Special: 'I Just Felt Terrible'
Read more »
‘Aziz Ansari Right Now’ Netflix Clip: He’s Been “Observing” White People & Here’s What He SawAziz Ansari’s second Netflix stand-up special starts streaming Tuesday, and here is a snippet of the Master of None creator-star’s performance. Taped at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, A…
Read more »
https://people.com/Get the latest news about celebrities, royals, music, TV, and real people. Find exclusive content, including photos and videos, on PEOPLE.com.
Read more »
Does Aziz Ansari Talk About The Accusations Against Him In His New Netflix Special?Aziz Ansari begins his new Netflix special 'Right Now' by acknowledging the sexual misconduct accusation made against him in 2018.
Read more »
Aziz Ansari Reckons With HimselfIn his Netflix special, Aziz Ansari’s doing everything he possibly can to distance himself from the comedian he used to be, kvanaren writes
Read more »