National Geographic puts season of Neil deGrasse Tyson's "StarTalk" on hold
Los Angeles -- The current season of Neil deGrasse Tyson's "StarTalk" series is on hold amid sexual misconduct claims against the prominent astrophysicist. The National Geographic channel said Thursday new episodes of the science-based talk show won't air until an investigation involving Tyson is completed, which could be within the next few weeks.
Late last November, National Geographic Networks and Fox said they would examine claims that Tyson behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner toward two women.
Tyson was host of "Cosmos: Possible Worlds" on Fox in 2014. A new edition of the series was set to air in March on the network and on National Geographic.
He has denied an accusation that he groped a woman and denied making sexual advances toward a production assistant at his home. Tyson apologized for making the assistant feel uncomfortable.
He has said he will cooperate fully with an "impartial investigation."
"StarTalk" began its fifth season Nov. 12, with a handful of episodes aired before the show was put on hold. Guests for the previously announced 20 episodes include former Vice President Al Gore, writer George R.R. Martin and actors Jack Black and Jeff Goldblum.
A representative for Tyson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday regarding the "StarTalk" hiatus.
In addition to the alleged incident involving the production assistant, two other allegations of sexual misconduct star against Tyson surfaced as well. A university professor accused him of exhibiting "creepy behavior" when she met him in 2009 and a third woman alleged in a 2014 blog post that Tyson drugged and raped her while she was a graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin.
Tyson gave a detailed denial to each allegation.
"For a variety of reasons, most justified, some unjustified, men accused of sexual impropriety in today's 'Me Too' climate are presumed to be guilty by the court of public opinion," Tyson wrote on Facebook. "Emotions bypass due-process, people choose sides, and the social media wars begin."
