Apprentice Director Apologizes After Golden Globes Groping Claim, Shares His Version of Events

On Friday, the director of the Golden Globe- and Oscar-nominated film about the early days and rise of Donald Trump was accused of having groped an A-list star repped by CAA at an afterparty hosted by the agency.

It was also reported by Deadline, who was first to break the news, that he'd parted ways with CAA and Entertainment360. Speculation at the time was that he was dropped in response to the allegation.

In a lengthy statement sent to TheWrap and posted to his social media, Abbasi said he wanted to "address the articles about me directly and openly."

The statement opened with an apology, with Abbasi saying, "I fully understand that my action made someone uncomfortable, regardless of my intent, and for that I am truly sorry."

He went on to explain, "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. I made an over-familiar gesture -- a slap on the rear—which I intended as playful and not in any sexual way whatsoever."

"I quickly realized I had misjudged the situation," Abassi continued. "I apologized to him on the spot, and the following day I made sure my apology was reiterated through my representatives."

He then went on to address media outlets speculating a connection between these events and his change in representation by denying there is any correlation at all. "The suggestion that I was dropped by my representation due to this interaction is false," he said. "My decision to part ways was a long term career decision that was not shaped by short term motivations."

"I believe in taking accountability for my actions; I made a mistake, I apologized and have learned a valuable life lesson," Abbasi concluded his statement. "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."

For next Sunday's Academy Awards, two of the film's stars have been nominated for Oscars, with Sebastian Stan up for Lead Actor for his portrayal of Trump, and Jeremy Strong nominated for his portrayal of Ray Cohn.

Deadline notes that voting closed on Tuesday for the 97th Academy Awards, so Friday's allegations will have no effect on Stan's or Strong's chances at taking home a trophy.

Just hours after releasing his statement, Abbasi was in attendance at the Independent Spirit Awards. When asked why by Variety, Abbasi explained, "Like I said, 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."

Abbasi was up for Best Director at the ceremony, but lost to Anora director Sean Baker. Nominated across multiple awards this season, The Apprentice has taken home a Best Supporting Actor win for Strong by the Florida Film Critics Circle. Next up are France's César Awards February 28 and the Oscars March 2.