Here’s what Aziz Ansari said about his sexual misconduct scandal in his Netflix special

Comedian Aziz Ansari kicked off his new Netflix stand-up special by acknowledging the elephant in the room: His 2018 sexual misconduct scandal that largely pushed him out of the spotlight.

The “Master of None� star, who was accused of misconduct in a controversial first-person account during the #MeToo movement, returned to streaming on Tuesday with “Aziz Ansari: Right Now.�

The special is based on Ansari’s sold-out “Road to Nowhere� tour, during which he addressed the fallout from the Babe.net article about a date gone wrong. After the story was published, Ansari publicly apologized for the incident.

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The Indian American comic kicked off the routine with quips about people mistaking him for comedian Hasan Minhaj, the Indian American host of Netflix’s “Patriot Act,� whom he readily pinned the misconduct scandal on before speaking in more hushed tones. It was the same mea culpa he’s been delivering during the 75-city tour he embarked on last year.

Here’s a transcript of what he said:

“I haven’t said much about that whole thing, but I’ve talked about it on this tour, because you’re here and it means a lot to me. And I’m sure some of you are curious how I feel about that whole situation. And it’s a tricky thing for me to answer ’cause I felt so many things in the last year or so.

There’s times I felt scared. There’s times I felt humiliated. There’s times I felt embarrassed. And ultimately, I just felt terrible that this person felt this way. And after a year or so, I just hope it was a step forward.

It moved things forward for me and made me think about a lot. I hope I’ve become a better person. And I always think about a conversation I had with one of my friends where he was like, ‘You know what, man? That whole thing made me think about every date I’ve ever been on.’ And I thought, ‘Wow. Well, that’s pretty incredible. It’s made not just me, but other people be more thoughtful, and that’s a good thing.’ And that’s how I feel about it.

Then, perking up and rising a few octaves, he continues:

“And I know this isn’t the most hilarious way to begin a comedy show. But it’s important to me that you know how I feel about that whole thing before we share this night together.�

The 36-year-old was met with cheers and applause before he transitioned from the “intense� portion of the show.

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The special, directed by Oscar winner Spike Jonze, was filmed during a tour stop at the Brooklyn Academy of Music earlier this year. It also touches on racism, being “fake woke,� marginalized groups, his new girlfriend, parents, Alzheimer’s disease and, most notably, digging up questionable tweets and content that, if viewed by “2019 standards,� could torpedo a movie, TV show or career.

On that note, he brought up other icons who have fallen from grace, devoting long sections to the incendiary post-#MeToo documentaries about Michael Jackson and R&B star R. Kelly.

The Emmy Award winner joked about the aftermath of the docuseries “Leaving Neverland� and “Surviving R. Kelly� and acknowledged a lengthy bit he previously did on Kelly. That ultimately steered his Netflix routine into a section on fans’ strained relationships with disgraced entertainers.

Maybe he didn’t realize, to some, he might still be one of them?

Closing the set, Ansari launched into another hushed monologue — a seemingly genuine speech thanking the audience for coming out to support him.

“I’m glad you all came out tonight. I really mean that. I really am very grateful you came, you know? ’Cause, you know, I’ve done a lot of shows in my career. At the end of the shows, I’d always go, ‘Good night. Thank you very much!’ But the truth is, I never really meant it.…

“I wasn’t grateful enough. I didn’t really think about what it means that all you guys came out. But now when I see you guys here, it hits me in a different way. I think about what it means that all you guys, you drove down here, you waited in line, and you did all of this stuff just to hear me talk into a microphone for like an hour or so.

“It means the world to me because I saw the world where I don’t ever get to do this again. And it almost felt like I died. And in a way, I did. That old Aziz … is dead. But I’m glad … I don’t think that way anymore because I realized it’s all ephemeral. All that stuff can just go away like this [snaps fingers]. And all we really have is the moment we’re in and the people we’re with.�

Twitter: @NardineSaad