Samantha Bee addressed the Aziz Ansari story and the backlash against #MeToo: 'It doesn't have to ruin your life to be worth speaking out about'
- Samantha Bee addressed the backlash against the #MeToo movement that surfaced this past week after a story about comedian Aziz Ansari came out.
- Bee said that no one was comparing what Ansari is accused of to rape, and said, "I'm sorry we tattled about that stuff you did on us, even when it was totally not rape."
On "Full Frontal" Wednesday night, host Samantha Bee addressed the backlash against the #MeToo movement that started after an accusation of sexual misconduct was published about comedian Aziz Ansari in the publication Babe.net.
Bee said even though what Ansari had been accused of wasn't not rape, it was still worth discussing.
"What many fail to understand is that it doesn't have to be rape to ruin your life and it doesn't have to ruin your life to be worth speaking out about," Bee said. After pausing for applause, she added, "any kind of sexual harassment or coersion is unacceptable."
The woman who spoke to Babe.net accused Ansari of continually trying to have sex with her after a date in September even though "she used verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate how uncomfortable and distressed" she was. In a statement, Ansari said that from his perspective all indications were that the encounter was "completely consensual." He also said that when the woman told him that their encounter was upsetting in text message the next day, he was "surprised and concerned."
"People are worried about Aziz's career," Bee continued. "Which no one is trying to end because again we know the different between a rapist, a workplace harasser, and an Aziz Ansari. That doesn't mean we have to be happy about any of them."
Addressing men, Bee said, "I'm sorry our request to be respected makes office culture a little less fun and flirty, and I'm sorry we tattled about that stuff you did to us, even when it was totally not rape."
Bee then said, seeming to speak directly to Ansari and other men who act in the same way, "If you don't want to hurt your partner's feelings throughout sex, maybe you shouldn't be f***ing the person at all."
Watch the entire segment below: