>>> AZIZ ANSARI IS ON A COMEBACK TOUR AFTER HE FACED ALLEGATIONS
OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
>> WE ARE HERE AT NBC NEWS.
AS PEOPLE WHO COVERED THE ME TOO
MOVEMENT AND AS TWO WOMEN LIVING
AND WORKING IN NEW YORK, WE
ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT IT IN AN
UPCOMING PODCAST WHICH IS, IS
THERE SUCH A THING AS
REDEMPTION.
REDEMPTION. AS THE STORIES CAME OUT A LOT OF
PEOPLE SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, DOES
THAT COUNT.
THAT COUNT. I THINK THE FIRST TIME WE HEARD
THAT ABOUT THAT WAS AZIZ ANSARI.
WHEN A YOUNG WOMAN WROTE HER
STORY AND SAID THIS IS THE WORST
EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE, I FELT
LIKE I WAS FORCED INTO SEX.
I AS SOMEBODY WHO LIVED IN NEW
YORK AS A SINGLE GIRL FOR A LONG
TIME AND NOW MARRIED.
>> I HAD MALE FRIENDS WHO
TOTALLY IDENTIFIED WITH AZIZ IN
THAT STORY.
THAT STORY. WELL, WHY WOULD SHE COME
UPSTAIRS IF SHE WASN’T
INTERESTED?
INTERESTED? >> WHEN YOU READ HER STORY, WHAT
DID YOU THINK?
>> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN IN THAT POSITION BEFORE.
THERE IS THIS UNSPOKEN AGREEMENT
THAT ONCE YOU GO UPSTAIRS IT’S
AN ALL OR NOTHING DEAL.
WHY CAN’T IT BE, WE’LL NEGOTIATE
AS WE GO ALONG WHAT IT IS PEOPLE
WANT OUT OF THAT NIGHT.
>> YOU AND I WENT TO GO SEE AZIZ
TWO WEEKS AGO TO HEAR HIS SIDE
OF THE STORY.
WE’VE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE TRY TO
COME BACK.
COME BACK. SOME WOMEN SAID THERE SHOULDN’T
BE REDEMPTION YET.
THIS THING IS JUST STARTED.
BUT WE WANTED TO HEAR AZIZ’S
STORY.
STORY. I THOUGHT HE WAS VULNERABLE AND
HONEST AND HE WAS ANGRY, BUT I
FELT HIM.
FELT HIM. DID YOU?
DID YOU? >> TOTALLY.
>> TOTALLY. I THINK HE OFFERED US A PATH
FORWARD.
FORWARD. IT WAS MORE, YOU KNOW,
UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS THE CASE
BUT HOW CAN WE ALL BE BETTER
PEOPLE FOR IT?
>> I BELIEVED HIM.
WHEN LOUIS C.K. CAME BACK,
PEOPLE CHEWED HIM UP AND SPIT
HIM OUT.
HIM OUT. >> I THINK AZIZ WAS MORE
CREATIVE.
CREATIVE. THERE WERE NO LOW BLOWS.
IT WAS ALL SMART CREATIVE
CONTENT THAT WAS TRUE TO WHO HE
WAS BEFORE AND WHO HE IS NOW.
>> HE WAS SMART AND THOUGHTFUL
AND CREATIVE.
AND CREATIVE. HE DIDN’T SUDDENLY CLEAN IT UP
AND SAY I’M A NEW AZIZ.
IT WAS SMARTER AND BETTER.
>> AND IT WAS TOTALLY NOT
SQUEAKY CLEAN.
SQUEAKY CLEAN. IT WAS TALKING ABOUT POLITICAL
CORRECTNESS.
CORRECTNESS. >> I’VE BEEN OBSERVING YOU.
>> IT WAS TOTALLY FUNNY.
IT WASN’T THIS LIKE ME TOO
COMEBACK, I HAVE TO HAVE A
DIFFERENT PERSON KIND OF
ROUTINE.
ROUTINE. >> SO MY TAKE AWAY WAS WE’RE SO
QUICK IN CANCEL CULTURE TO
CATEGORIZE AND JUDGE AND SAY
THIS WAS A BAD ACT, THIS WAS A
BAD PERSON.
BAD PERSON. THEY DON’T DESERVE TO BE HERE.
WE’RE DONE WITH THEM.
BUT IT IS SO COMPLICATED.
>> TOTALLY.
>> TOTALLY. AND I THINK IN HIS STANDUP SHOW
THAT WE SAW, HE REALLY DOESN’T
STRIKE THIS TONE OF THIS IS IN
THE PAST AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO
TALK ABOUT IT.
HE REALLY WAS THERE TO OFFER
THIS LESSON FOR ALL OF US AND
TALK ABOUT IT AND MAKE IT A PART
OF HIS CRAFT, WHICH I THOUGHT
WAS AWESOME.
WAS AWESOME. >> DO YOU WALK AWAY FROM THIS
SAYING, THIS WAS A HORRIBLE
THING FOR BOTH OF THEM, BUT
MAYBE THERE’S AN OPENING THAT
HIM COMING BACK AND TELLING HIS
STORY COULD COME BACK AND BE A
NET POSITIVE.
NET POSITIVE. >> I THINK WITH ME TOO WE’VE
HEARD SOME REALLY HORRIBLE
STORIES OF PEOPLE’S LIVES BEING
TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND RUINED
AND THEY’RE EERTHEY’RE SCARRED F
HERE’S SOMETHING THAT I CAN
RELATE TO AND HOW CAN I NOW BE
BETTER FOR IT.
>> IT COULD TRICKLE DOWN.
WHEN YOU ARE BACKED INTO A
CORNER WHERE YOU HAVE GOT TO
MAKE RENT, ESPECIALLY IN THE
WORKPLACE, YOU OFTEN HAVE
SITUATIONS YOU DON’T WANT TO BE
IN.
IN. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> SO WHEN YOU SEE THESE HIGH
PROFILE CASES, THERE COULD BE A
TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT.
>> IT’S NOT JUST IN THE
WORKPLACE.
WORKPLACE. IT’S IN RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE’RE
OPTING INTO.
OPTING INTO. IT’S NOT JUST IN THIS DYNAMIC
THAT WE ARE STUCK IN FOR MONEY
OR POWER OR WHATEVER.
>> THE MORE WE HAVE THESE
CONVERSATIONS, THE BETTER WE
ARE.