Comedian Aziz Ansari shared on Monday afternoon that his next Netflix special, titled Aziz Ansari: Right Now and directed by Spike Jonze, will hit the streaming service July 9. Though he’s been touring, the special will mark Ansari’s return to television: the second season of his last big project, the Netflix comedy-drama Master of None, was released just over two years ago. His last comedy special, Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden, premiered on Netflix in 2015.
Ansari took a step away from the televised eye back in 2018, after an explosive article on Babe.net, called “I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life,” went viral. The woman, who is referred to throughout the story as “Grace,” accused Ansari of perpetuating an unhealthy culture surrounding power and sex and ignoring her several physical and verbal cues that she wasn’t enjoying their date. She wrote that she felt pressured to perform certain sex acts afterward and that Ansari didn’t understand the nuances and importance of consent.
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Of course, this timing is raising some eyebrows. The Netflix special announcement came less than a week after two stories on the unceremonious shutdown of Babe.net, from Refinery29 and The Cut, were published. Refinery29’s investigation painted a picture of a toxic, unprofessional work environment at the Babe.net headquarters, while The Cut interviewed several women who alleged sexual harassment from the higher-ups at the website and its parent company, Tab Media.
Ansari has addressed the allegations of sexual misconduct a few times over the past year, most notably at a small February show in New York. “I felt really upset and humiliated and embarrassed, and ultimately I just felt terrible this person felt that way,” he said. “After about a year, how I feel about it is I hope it was a step forward. It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person.”
Watch the trailer below.
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