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“The Apprentice” director Ali Abbasi issued an apology Saturday after he was accused of groping an unnamed A-list actor at a Golden Globes after-party in January.
“I fully understand that my action made someone uncomfortable, regardless of my intent, and for that I am truly sorry,” he said in a statement posted to X.
The apology came days after Abbasi the allegations became public in Deadline, which cited anonymous sources. The party was hosted by Creative Artist Agency, which sought an apology from Abbasi after the alleged incident happened, Deadline reported. However, the director was reportedly told not to contact the actor directly.
Abbasi said in his apology that he spent a lot of time with the unnamed actor and made a “gesture” that he believed was friendly.
“When I saw him at the Golden Globes party, I was excited to reconnect. I made an over-familiar gesture – a slap on the rear – which I intended as playful and not in any sexual way whatsoever,” he said. “I quickly realized I had misjudged the situation. I apologized to him on the spot, and the following day I made sure my apology was reiterated through my representatives.”
“I believe in taking accountability for my actions; I made a mistake, I apologized and have learned a valuable life lesson,” he said.
Deadline reported that Abbasi ended his connections with CAA and the talent firm Entertainment 360 following the allegations. But the director said it was “a long term career decision” to leave his representation.
Representatives for Abbasi also said it was the director’s decision to leave CAA and Entertainment 360. He is now repped by LARK Entertainment, which is based in the United Kingdom. CAA and Entertainment 360 did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
The allegations against Abbasi come during the run-up to the Oscars as “The Apprentice,” which centres on Donald Trump’s rise to success as a real estate mogul and into celebrity, searches for success amid movie award season.
The film, which struggled to find a distributor in the United States, earned two Oscar nominations with Sebastian Stan, who portrays a young Donald Trump, up for best actor, and Jeremy Strong, who plays Trump’s former mentor and lawyer Roy Cohn, nominated for best supporting actor.
Both Stan and Strong received nominations at the Golden Globes. The film received a best casting nomination at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. Over the weekend, Abbasi lost to Sean Baker of “Anora” in the best director category at the Independent Spirit Awards.