Ashleigh Banfield Rips Aziz Ansari Accuser on HLN, Calls Allegations 'Reckless and Hollow' — Watch

martin

7 years ago

In the wake of sexual assault allegations against Master of None star Aziz Ansari, HLN host Ashleigh Banfield had some brutally honest words for Ansari’s accuser on Monday.

Babe.net, 23-year-old photographer Grace (an alias) detailed a date with Ansari that ended in an uncomfortable — and by her account, nonconsensual — sexual encounter with the actor. After the article was published, Ansari said in a statement that “it was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.”

On Monday’s broadcast of her HLN program Crime & Justice, Banfield addressed Ansari’s accuser with an open letter, criticizing her for putting Ansari in the same category as men like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

“You had a bad date. Your date got overly amorous,” Banfield began. “After protesting his moves, you did not get up and leave right away. You continued to engage in the sexual encounter. By your own clear description, this was not a rape, nor was it a sexual assault. By your description, your sexual encounter was unpleasant.”