As comedian Aziz Ansari continues his “Road to Nowhere” tour, his comeback journey has drawn at least one high-profile supporter: Mindy Kaling.  The writer-performer and Ocean’s 8 star repeatedly defended her decision to attend one of Ansari’s shows in an Instagram comment: “I’m a feminist and standing up for women is very important to me.  I’m not rehabbing him Bc I think he did a fine job doing it himself,” she said. 

Kaling initially posted a photo of her ticket stub and was met by a wave of concerned fans who expressed disappointment at her support of the comedian. 

Kaling then spent a portion of Friday evening alternately replying to fans and deleting comments they left on her initial post, including one that likened Ansari’s behavior to that of singer R. Kelly. “ I think comparing Aziz to R. Kelly was offensive and degrading to the victims of R. Kelly, so yeah, I deleted it,” she said, according to BuzzFeed.  When another user criticized her for defending Ansari, Kaling replied, “I am a champion of women.  I am also a champion of my friend and do not believe they are mutually exclusive.” 

Ansari has returned to the mainstream stand-up stage following a 2018 Babe.net article in which an anonymous woman recalled going on a date with the comedian, in which Ansari allegedly pressured her repeatedly into having sex.  Ansari claimed at the time he was “surprised and concerned” by the allegation and that he had perceived their interaction to be consensual, adding, “I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture.  It is necessary and long overdue.” 

After months of relative silence, Ansari began addressing the controversy in his recent stand-up performances, saying that it caused him to rethink his romantic interactions with women. “ I hope it was a step forward,” he said in one February show, according to Vulture. “ It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person . . .  If that has made not just me but other guys think about this, and just be more thoughtful and aware and willing to go that extra mile, and make sure someone else is comfortable in that moment, that’s a good thing.” 

To Kaling, at least, it apparently seemed as though Ansari has grappled appropriately with the allegations.  She responded to another comment by stating “I definitely don’t separate the art from the artist.  His experience has shaped his art and he talked about [it] eloquently.  I hope you check it out.”