Comedian Aziz Ansari is returning to Netflix with an all-new stand-up special. Since January 2018, the American actor and filmmaker has been mostly out of the public eye, following an accusation of sexual misconduct. To promote the new project, Netflix released an official teaser for Aziz Ansari: Right Now.
Now 36 years old, Ansari rose to fame as a cast member on NBC’s political satire Parks and Recreation. As the sarcastic Tom Haverford, Ansari earned a following for the character’s observational humor; a trait that translates to the actor’s real-life comedy shows. In 2013, Netflix released Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive, filmed at Philadelphia’s Merriam Theatre, and a subsequent special was released in 2015, Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden. While Ansari is primarily known for his comedy routines, along with high-profile film and television roles, he offered something different with the Netflix series Master of None. Co-created with Alan Yang, the dramedy series premiered in November 2015, and was followed by a critically-acclaimed second season in May 2017. Master of None follows the personal experiences of Dev Shah, portrayed by Ansari. For Master of None season 2, Ansari won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
On YouTube, Netflix released a teaser video for Aziz Ansari: Right Now. The comedian also promoted the clip on his official Twitter account. In the video, Ansari wears a Metallica “Ride the Lightning" t-shirt and preps for a show backstage, with Ofege’s “It’s Not Easy” playing over the entirety of the video. The teaser features pull-quotes from critics, and concludes with Ansari taking the stage. The director is revealed to be Spike Jonze, the acclaimed filmmaker behind psychological dramas like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation., and Her. On Twitter, Ansari followed up his trailer tweet with an official black and white promotional image. Check out the teaser video and poster for Aziz Ansari: Right Now below.
Seven days after Ansari’s 2018 Golden Globe win, an essay was published online by Katie Way, chronicling the experiences of a woman named “Grace,” who accused the comedian of sexual misconduct. Ansari unsurprisingly experienced backlash online, while others questioned the legitimacy of the accusations. Since then, Ansari hasn’t appeared in any feature films or television shows, aside from a 2018 guest spot on the Netflix cooking docuseries Ugly Delicious.
As of now, Netflix still plans to move forward with Master of None season 3. Meanwhile, Ansari’s new special provides him with a large platform to address his experiences since the 2018 sexual misconduct allegations. Moving forward, Ansari’s career may depend on how the public reacts to the new special. Aziz Ansari: Right Now will premiere on July 9.
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Source: Netflix, Aziz Ansari
