Amy Schumer weighs in on Aziz Ansari sexual misconduct allegations

Rockville Centre-raised comedy star Amy Schumer on Thursday weighed in on the debate over the anonymous woman who accused comedian Aziz Ansari last month of alleged boorish behavior while on a date with her.

“I’m in the middle,” Schumer, 36, said on Katie Couric’s eponymous podcast, when asked where she stood on the central question of why the woman did not leave the consensual date. “I don’t think anyone wants to see Aziz’s career ruined or his life ruined or anything like that,” Schumer said, “but that’s where people’s minds go. They go, ‘Does he deserve this?’ And it’s really not about that. I think it’s about … showing women that that behavior is not okay and not only can you leave, but you need to leave. …If you don’t really lay your boundaries out, then you’re leaving it open for the women who come after you.”

She added, “I think a lot of women feel really bad that they’ve been complicit with things, but we didn’t know not to be. And I think now there’s kind of no excuse. And if you have a doctor that makes you uncomfortable, or you get a massage, or you have a date with someone and they coerce you in a situation like the Aziz one, I don’t think there’s any sort of, criminal charge, but I think that it’s good for everybody to learn that that behavior’s not acceptable. It’s not a crime, but it’s not cool. And it can still really mess with a woman.”

Stressing the need for “hard conversations,” Schumer said, “We can’t let things continue the way that they’ve continued because there’s so many different levels of it,” including, “something like what happened with Aziz. … He’s been my friend and I feel for the woman. I identify with all the women in these situations. My mind doesn’t go right to — even if it’s my friend — I don’t go, ‘Oh, but he’s a good guy.’ I think, ‘What would it feel like to have been her?’ “

Ansari has said in a statement, “In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date. We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual. The next day, I got a text from her saying that although ‘it may have seemed okay,’ upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. 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. I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”