‘The Apprentice’ director Ali Abbasi is ‘truly sorry’ amid groping allegations

The Apprentice director Ali Abbasi is clearing the air amid reports that he groped an unnamed A-list actor at a January event.

“I want to address the recent articles about me directly and openly,” Abbasi began, in a statement shared on social media. “I fully understand that my action made someone uncomfortable, regardless of my intent, and for that I am truly sorry.”

The director’s response comes in the wake of a Feb. 21 Deadline report alleging that he “aggressively groped” an A-lister while “inebriated “at the CAA Golden Globes afterparty.

“I had spent time with the person concerned on multiple occasions and had reason to think we had a friendly relationship. When I saw him at the Golden Globes party, I was excited to reconnect,” Abbasi wrote. “I made an over-familiar gesture—a slap on the rear—which I intended as playful and not in any sexual way whatsoever.”

Abbasi continued, “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.”

Alongside the allegations came the news that Abbasi had parted ways with CAA and Management 360. However, the filmmaker claimed that the decision to split with his reps was entirely his own, and in the works long before the Deadline report was published.

“The suggestion that I was dropped by my representation due to this interaction is false,” he wrote. “My decision to part ways was a long term career decision that was not shaped by short term motivations.”

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He concluded, “I believe in taking accountability for my actions; I made a mistake, I apologized and have learned a valuable life lesson. I remain grateful for the incredible work of our cast, crew and supporters on The Apprentice, and I hope the focus stays on their achievements.”

Abbasi is currently making the rounds to promote the biopic, which follows Donald Trump’s rise through the real estate industry in the ’80s, under the guidance of his notorious mentor and attorney, Roy Cohn. The film also addresses the future president’s personal life, including a particularly dark scene where Trump, portrayed by Sebastian Stan, sexually assaults his then-wife, Ivana. (She testified about the incident in her divorce deposition, before later denying the initial testimony, saying she felt “violated” but did not mean to allege rape “in a literal criminal sense.”)  

Despite legal troubles and initial difficulty finding mainstream distributors, the acclaimed film has earned a fair amount of attention this awards season, particularly for the performances of stars Stan and Jeremy Strong, who are both nominated at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Despite the controversy, Abbasi has not shied away from industry events, and he attended Saturday’s Indie Spirit Awards.

Asked about the decision by Variety, the filmmaker defended his appearance, responding, “My statement is out there, it speaks for itself. I’m here to do what I always do, to support [The Apprentice] and celebrate cinema.”