Aziz Ansari is making a return to Netflix with a surprise special, Aziz Ansari Right Now, which is directed by Spike Jonze and will premiere on July 9. The above teaser plays in an understated way until the Master of None star takes the stage to a standing ovation in New York City. Although Netflix tends to drop specials without too much advance notice, it’s still surprising to behold Ansari’s formal return to the streamer in only one week.
Of course, Ansari actually returned to the comedy stage in February with a series of pop-up shows called a “Road to Nowhere” tour. During the course of those shows, the Master Of None star very briefly made initial onstage mention of the sexual misconduct allegations made against him, which led him to retreat from the spotlight a year prior. He further reflected upon those claims made by an anonymous woman who revealed an encounter with Ansari that sparked an embattled discussion about sexual consent. This also led to a very public debate about the nature of the accusations and whether they amounted to sexual misconduct or an embarrassingly bad date.
In the aftermath of those allegations and the ensuing cultural discussion, Ansari issued a nuanced statement about the allegations and a declaration of his support for the #MeToo movement. He also held some low-key shows for a few hundred attendees (although 18,000 people reportedly attempted to score tickets) in New York. Those sets included him discussing how he took time to process the claims made against him while noting that the experience was “a terrifying thing to talk about.”
Meanwhile, Master of None hasn’t set a return date yet for a third season, although Netflix indicated that they were ready to make more when Ansari was ready to move forward.
