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Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'StarTalk' Shelved at Nat Geo Amid Misconduct Allegations

January 03, 2019 12:23pm PT by Rick Porter

The show has been off the air for several weeks during an investigation into claims against the astrophysicist.

National Geographic has pulled StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson from its schedule as it investigates claims of sexual misconduct against the host.

The show, in which astrophysicist Tyson discusses science with a guest each week, began its fifth season on Nov. 12. Nat Geo took the show off the air after three weeks after Tyson was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by two women.

"In order to allow the investigation to occur unimpeded we chose to hold new episodes of Star Talk until it is complete," Nat Geo said in a statement. "We expect that to happen in the next few weeks at which time we’ll make a final decision."

In a story on Patheos, two women, Dr. Katelyn Allers and Ashley Watson, said Tyson made sexual advances on them. Allers, a professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University, said Tyson groped her at a 2009 meeting of the American Astronomical Society in what she termed an incident of "creepy behavior."

Ashley Watson, who worked as Tyson's assistant, said he tried to convince her to have sex with him and made inappropriate comments. She quit her job as a result, she told Patheos.

The allegations followed a 2014 accusation of rape against Tyson by a former classmate at the University of Texas in the 1980s.

Tyson denied the allegations in a Facebook post but also said he welcomes an investigation. Nat Geo and Fox, where Tyson hosts Cosmos, said shortly after the allegations surfaced that "we take these matters very seriously and we are reviewing the recent reports." Cosmos is due to begin its second season on Fox and Nat Geo in March; the first aired in 2014.