Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is the latest public figure to face sexual misconduct accusations, with National Geographic taking his series, StarTalk, off the air until an investigation is completed.
“In order to allow the investigation to occur unimpeded we chose to hold new episodes of Star Talk until it is complete,” a Nat Geo rep told Variety. “We expect that to happen in the next few weeks at which time we’ll make a final decision.”
Two women have accused Tyson of sexual misconduct. Bucknell University’s Dr. Katelyn N. Allers claimed Tyson groped her at an event in 2009, while a former assistant, Ashley Watson, said Tyson made repeated inappropriate sexual advances toward her. Tyson was also previously accused of misconduct, with musician Tchiya Amet claiming the intellectual raped her when they were both graduate students in the 1980s.
Late last year, the channel put out a statement when the allegations were first brought to their attention:
“We have only just become aware of the recent allegations regarding Neil deGrasse Tyson. We take these matters very seriously and we are reviewing the recent reports.”
Tyson has denied all wrongdoing, writing on Facebook that he welcomes an investigation.
“In any claim, evidence matters. Evidence always matters. But what happens when it’s just one person’s word against another’s, and the stories don’t agree? That’s when people tend to pass judgment on who is more credible than whom. And that’s when an impartial investigation can best serve the truth – and would have my full cooperation to do so.”
