Neil deGrasse Tyson Craig Barritt/Getty Images

StarTalk With Neil deGrasse Tyson has been pulled from National Geographic’s schedule as the network investigates the sexual misconduct allegations that have been brought against the famed astrophysicist.


“In order to allow the investigation to occur unimpeded we chose to hold new episodes of ‘Star Talk’ until it is complete,” a National Geographic rep told Variety. “We expect that to happen in the next few weeks at which time we’ll make a final decision.”

Based on his podcast of the same name, Tyson’s National Geographic show aims to bridge the gap between pop culture and science, with a new guest joining Tyson each week to talk about science and the universe in an easily digestible way. The series has been hugely successful and premiered its fifth season on Nov. 12 before being removed from the schedule three weeks after the premiere, although no official announcement was made.

The investigation comes after an accusation of rape was made against Tyson by a former classmate who attended the University of Texas–Austin with him in the 1980s. Following the accusation, two more women came forward with stories of sexual misconduct against Tyson. Katelyn Allers, a professor of physics and astronomy detailed a 2009 encounter with Tyson in which she alleges she was “felt up” by the astrophysicist at party following an American Astronomical Society conference. In the same article published by Patheos, Tyson’s former assistant, Ashley Watson, said he tried to persuade her to have sex and consistently made inappropriate comments and jokes, leading her to quit her job.

While National Geographic has removed StarTalk from their lineup, there is no word yet on whether or not Fox will air the upcoming fourth season of Tyson’s series Cosmos which is set to premiere in March.