Neil deGrasse Tyson to remain head of Hayden Planetarium

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will keep his job as head of the Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History after the museum concluded its investigation into sexual misconduct accusations against him. A museum spokesperson said Tyson “remains an employee and director of the Hayden Planetarium” based on the results of the investigation.

The statement said museum officials would not comment further “because this is a confidential personnel matter.”

Tyson was accused of behaving inappropriately with two women in a Patheos article published last November.

Trending News

In one episode from 2009, Katelyn Allers, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said Tyson put his hand under the shoulder part of her dress while exploring her tattoo of the solar system to see if it included Pluto. Allers said the behavior was “creepy.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks during the National Geographic Channel Special Programming Announcement at the 2015 Winter Television Critics Association press tour  on January 7, 2015 in Pasadena, California. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The second case involved Ashley Watson, who quit her job as an assistant for Tyson on the Fox TV show “Cosmos” last year after what she said was inappropriate behavior on his part.

In one instance, Watson said Tyson invited her into his apartment and told her he wanted to hug her but if he did he’d “just want more.”

Tyson responded to the allegations in a December Facebook post in which he denied acting wrongly.

Fox Broadcasting and National Geographic cleared Tyson to return to the air on his television series “StarTalk” and “Cosmos” earlier this year after investigating the same allegations.

Categories: National, US & World News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *