Neil deGrasse Tyson investigated after sexual misconduct allegations; issues lengthy statement

Fox and the producers of its popular science program Cosmos have both issued statements today in regards to recent allegations of sexual misconduct against host Neil deGrasse Tyson, stating that they’re investigating the charges raised in a recent report posted to the website Patheos. In it, author David G. McAfee writes that two women—Dr. Katelyn N. Allers, and Tyson’s former assistant, Ashley Watson—have both accused the well-known astrophysicist of exhibiting sexually inappropriate behavior toward them. Another woman, musician Tchiya Amet, has reportedly previously accused Tyson of sexually assaulting her when they were both in graduate school together. (Those allegations and a subsequent interview with Amet were also reported by McAfee for Patheos, which focuses, among other topics, on the atheist/skeptic community.)

Producers on Cosmos—which airs jointly on Fox and National Geographic, and which has a new season, Possible Worlds, slated for release in 2019—said in their statement that, “The credo at the heart of Cosmos is to follow the evidence wherever it leads. The producers of Cosmos can do no less in this situation. We are committed to a thorough investigation of this matter and to act accordingly as soon as it is concluded.”

Following allegations, Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson has broken his silence. 

While he apologized for making one woman feel uncomfortable, he denied a lingering allegation that he drugged and raped a woman while they were in graduate school together.

In a lengthy post shared to Facebook on Saturday, the astrophysicist apologized for what was characterized as groping in a report on the religion blog Patheos during a photo-op following an American Astronomical Society (AAS) event in 2009. Katelyn Allers, an associate professor of Physics and Astronomy at Bucknell University, claimed that during an after-conference event, Tyson followed a tattoo of Pluto “into [her] dress.” She also told the blog that Tyson was “not someone who has great respect for female bodily autonomy.”

Tyson said he “only just learned (nine years after) that she thought this behavior creepy” and that he was “deeply sorry to have made her feel that way.” He added:

Had I been told of her discomfort in the moment, I would have offered this same apology eagerly, and on the spot. In my mind’s eye, I’m a friendly and accessible guy, but going forward, I can surely be more sensitive to people’s personal space, even in the midst of my planetary enthusiasm.

Tyson also addressed allegations by Ashley Watson, his former assistant, that she was forced to quit her job after Tyson came onto her. Watson worked for Tyson over the summer and told Patheos that she experienced inappropriate behavior by Tyson that occurred over wine and cheese at his home after hours.

Tyson acknowledged a meeting in which Watson addressed the evening and told him that his behavior made her uncomfortable. He specifically addressed an encounter reported by Patheos that involved a Native American handshake described by the blog as “incredibly intimate.”

I never touched her until I shook her hand upon departure. On that occasion, I had offered a special handshake, one I learned from a Native elder on reservation land at the edge of the Grand Canyon. You extend your thumb forward during the handshake to feel the other person’s vital spirit energy — the pulse. I’ve never forgotten that handshake, and I save it in appreciation of people with whom I’ve developed new friendships.

At that last meeting in my office, I apologized profusely. She accepted the apology. And I assured her that had I known she was uncomfortable, I would have apologized on the spot, ended the evening, and possibly reminded her of the other social gathering that she could attend. She nonetheless declared it her last day, with only a few days left of production.

Tyson wrote that Watson’s “final gesture to me was the offer of a hug, which I accepted as a parting friend.” He did not address a claim by Patheos that Tyson told Watson during the meeting that she would “never rise through the ranks in her career because she was too ‘distracting.’”

The writer of the Patheos report, David McAfee, has repeatedly surfaced an allegation made by Tchiya Amet in a 2014 blog post that Tyson drugged and raped her. Amet alleges the rape happened in 1984 when she and Tyson were in grad school together at the University of Texas in Austin. In an interview published in November, Amet reportedly told the site that following the incident, “she dropped out of the program, suffered from PTSD, and sought therapy repeatedly.”

Tyson wrote that he had a “brief relationship” with Amet and that he remembered “being intimate only a few times, all at her apartment, but the chemistry wasn’t there.” Tyson said he ran into her a few years later, at which time he learned that she had dropped out of her graduate program.

Patheos reported that Amet changed her name from “Staci Hambric,” which appears to be corroborated by Tyson, who wrote that he did not recognize her name when Amet accused him of rape in 2014. In his post, Tyson denied the rape allegation, writing:

[A]ccording to her blog posts, the drug and rape allegation comes from an assumption of what happened to her during a night that she cannot remember. It is as though a false memory had been implanted, which, because it never actually happened, had to be remembered as an evening she doesn’t remember. Nor does she remember waking up the next morning and going to the office. I kept a record of everything she posted, in case her stories morphed over time. So this is sad, which, for me, defies explanation.

Following the allegations published by Patheos, National Geographic and Fox, which air Cosmos, announced that they were launching an investigation into the claims. Tyson wrote on Facebook that he welcomes the inquiry.

“Accusations can damage a reputation and a marriage. Sometimes irreversibly,” Tyson said. “I see myself as [a] loving husband and as a public servant — a scientist and educator who serves at the will of the public. I am grateful for the support I’ve received from those who continue to respect and value me and my work.”

Besides numerous TV appearances, Tyson is also the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

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