Columbia native Aziz Ansari wins historic Golden Globe award

Columbia native Aziz Ansari made history Sunday night when he won a Golden Globe Award.

Ansari, who was born in Columbia and grew up in Bennettsville, S.C., won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in Television Series – Musical or Comedy for his role in the Netflix show “Master of None.”

Ansari became the first Indian-American actor to win Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series – Musical or Comedy.

“I genuinely didn’t think I could win because all of the websites said I would lose,” said Ansari, who was briefly censored for his use of adult language in his acceptance speech. “Also, I’m glad we won this one, because it would have really sucked to lose two of these in a row. It would have been a really (stinky) moment for me. But this is nice!”

Ansari is also the co-creator, writer, and occasional director of “Master of None,” which he previously won an Emmy Award in September for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.

This is the second time Ansari has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series – Musical or Comedy, for his role as Dev Shah in the Netflix series. Ansari has previously been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

“The only reason my acting is any good in that show is because everybody holds me up the whole time,” said Ansari, who added some thanks. “I want to thank Italy for all the amazing food we ate in Season 2. I need to thank my parents for giving me so much love.”

Ansari’s parents have appeared on “Master of None,” and are South Carolina residents.

Ansari is also known for playing the role of Tom Haverford in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and his standup comedy.

Ansari mentions his South Carolina roots often, including in “Parks and Recreation” where his character was conveniently from Bennettsville. His South Carolina roots were also mentioned in the 2013 “Comedy Central Roast of James Franco.”

Ansari’s victory came over “Black-ish’s” Anthony Anderson, “I Love Dick’s” Kevin Bacon, “Shameless’ ” William H. Macy, and “Will & Grace’s” Eric McCormack.

This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Columbia native Aziz Ansari wins historic Golden Globe award."