Serena Skov Campbell via Instagram Serena Skov Campbell
On July 9, Aziz Ansari released his first new stand-up special on Netflix since being the target of sexual misconduct allegations during the surge of the #MeToo movement last year. Entitled Aziz Ansari Right Now, while it might not be the funniest way to open a comedy special, the former Parks & Recreation star tackles the situation right away, and announced that he’d like to express himself “before we share this night together.”
Instead of weak apology, Ansari allows himself to be extremely vulnerable in the Spike Jonze directed special. “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,” he said. “After a year or so, I just hope it was a step forward. It moved things forward for me, made me think about a lot. I hope I’ve become a better person.”
While the Masters of None creator goes on to joke about the Indian Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, and how much white people love the movie Crazy Rich Asians, amidst the viewers laughing during his show is longtime girlfriend Serena Skov Campbell, who posted a shout out to her boyfriend of nearly two years on Instagram. On Monday night, she captioned the photo of the director’s slate, “Azizs special “Right now” is out on @netflix tomorrow (9th) ❤️?? So incredibly proud of him and all the work and dedication he has put into making this hour. I hope you all enjoy watching it as much as I have. ❤️ @netflixisajoke @azizansari.”
Here’s what you need to know about Serena Skov Campbell….
1. She’s A Physicist
Serena Skov Campbell
Aziz has chosen to date someone outside the industry. Serena Skov Campbell has a PhD in Physics, and posts pictures of herself working in the lab on Instagram. Originally, from Denmark, she studied toward her degree at London’s King College. She specializes in plasmonics, which is the study of electromagnetic fields.
According to her LinkedIn, Serena is also a mentor at Twinkly, ORYBT. Since graduating from King College in 2018, her title is officially Dr. Serena Skov Campbell.
2. Aziz and Serena May Soon Tie the Knot
Aziz, 36, recently took his girlfriend to meet his grandmother in India, which is typically an introduction only made for those looking to soon wed. Aziz’s grandmother suffers from Alzheimers, and they visited her back in December. The couple has also spent time visited her family in Denmark.
Previously, Aziz was in a two-year relationship with pastry chef Courtney McBroom. They broke up in 2016.
3. They’ve Been Dating Since 2018
The couple were first spotted together in New York City in September, 2018. Since going public with their relationship, Aziz and Serena, 31, have been spotted watching tennis at the US Open, hanging out in Los Angeles, and she’s traveled all over to see his comedy shows, including Tennessee and Nashville.
Together, they’ve vacationed in Italy, Morocco, and Sri Lanka, for which she shared a photo of Aziz on Instagram with the caption, “My heart.”
4. Aziz Mentions Serena in His New Stand Up Special
While Aziz doesn’t mention Serena by name, in Right Now, he mentions being in an interracial relationship with a Danish woman. He jokes, “My girlfriend, she’s Danish, so she doesn’t even understand some of the racism we deal with sometimes. Because, you know, they don’t have the same kind of racism in Denmark. Just culturally, it’s different, because they don’t have any other races. Just Danish people and the closest thing they’ve got to minorities is rye bread.”
Serena, who speaks English in addition to fluent Danish, as well as conversational German and French, didn’t quite understand certain comments being made on photos of the couple online. Aziz said, “I had to explain to her, no one thinks your name is Becky. That’s just internet slang making fun of white girls… She was like, ‘Oh, so it’s kind of like a slur? Not that bad, really, just calling me a different name!'”
5. Serena Made Her Instagram Page Private After ‘Right Now’ Premiered
After being mentioned in Aziz’s Netflix special, Serena chose to make her Instagram private. Beforehand, it was filled with pictures of her travels around the world, proud posts of the day she officially earned her PhD, and fun snaps hanging out with her friends. Her page included photos of the numerous trips she took with Aziz and of her research studies.
However, public scrutiny can be tough, especially for someone who’s not in the industry, and it’s understandable that the influx of incessant comments and intense scrutiny was not something Serena wanted to deal with after her boyfriend’s Netflix special premiered.
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